unseat

verb

un·​seat ˌən-ˈsēt How to pronounce unseat (audio)
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

Example Sentences

He unseated an incumbent senator. The horse bucked and unseated its rider.
Recent Examples on the Web Klang ultimately backed Craig, contributing to a 5 percentage point win for a Democratic incumbent whom Republicans spent more than $12 million to unseat. Thomas Beaumont, Hannah Fingerhut, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Dec. 2022 The gun store in suburban Atlanta, Adventure Outdoors, has been a campaign stop for other Republicans, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Herschel Walker, who unsuccessfully sought to unseat Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock last year. Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 31 Mar. 2023 The Peter Obi effect Fifteen candidates are seeking to unseat incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the ruling All Progressives Congress party, who is seeking a second term. Stephanie Busari, CNN, 17 Mar. 2023 Political opponents who seek to unseat Mr. Erdogan seized on the issue on Wednesday. Gulsin Harman, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023 Meanwhile, Democratic efforts to unseat Sen. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin or pick up an open seat in North Carolina also failed. Chad Day, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2022 Emboldened by preliminary results from Tuesday’s election, a San Francisco advocacy group aligned with moderate politicians is already launching an effort to unseat one of the city’s most progressive supervisors two years from now. J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Nov. 2022 In an effort to unseat Mendoza, LeBaron endorsed two candidates. San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2022 One Democratic Senate candidate in particular, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is seeking to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Ron Johnson in the Badger State's Nov. 8 midterm election, has liked numerous tweets that called for ICE to be abolished and criticized the agency. Kyle Morris, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unseat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unseat was in 1596

Dictionary Entries Near unseat

Cite this Entry

“Unseat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unseat. Accessed 30 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

unseat

verb
un·​seat ˌən-ˈsēt How to pronounce unseat (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on unseat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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