unseat

verb

un·​seat ˌən-ˈsēt 

unseated; unseating; unseats

transitive verb

1

: to dislodge from one's seat especially on horseback

2

: to remove from a place or position

especially : to remove from political office

Synonyms

• depose
• topple
• dethrone

Examples of unseat in a Sentence

He unseated an incumbent senator.

The horse bucked and unseated its rider.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hamilton was the highest grossing show last week, unseating long-standing top earner Wicked, with $2.2 million. —Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025

The two candidates could face an uphill battle to unseat Cleaver, a longtime congressman and Kansas City’s first Black mayor. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025

Nobody — including Bob Odenkirk’s action comedy sequel Nobody 2 — has a chance at unseating Weapons at the top of the movie box office this weekend, according to pre-release projections. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Stefanik is the top Republican looking to unseat Hochul in 2026. —Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unseat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

unseat

verb

un·​seat ˌən-ˈsēt 

ˈən-

1

: to throw from one's seat especially on horseback

2

: to remove from a place or position

especially : to remove from political office