usurper

noun

usurp·​er yu̇-ˈsər-pər 

also

-ˈzər- 

plural usurpers

: one who usurps something: such as

a

: one who seizes and holds office, power, position, etc., by force or without right

… they are working through the harrowing part in which Frederick, the usurper of his brother's dukedom, banishes his niece Rosalind from his court.

—Lawrence Malkin

At 19, she's the besotted lover of King Richard III—until he's slain by the usurper King Henry VII and she's forced to become Henry's wife.

—Joanna Powell

b

: one who takes the place of another by or as if by force

The new people have come, the usurpers, with their private jets and home theaters … , scaring the waterfowl and scattering the discreet and peaceful ease.

—Dwight Garner

c

: one who takes or makes use of something without right

For example, a co-owner may alone take all the necessary steps for the preservation of the property, including the institution of suits against trespassers or usurpers.

—Louisiana Civil Code

Examples of usurper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The coins are marked with faces of nine Roman emperors who reigned during the fourth and fifth centuries—including Eugenius, an illegitimate usurper who ruled the Western Roman Empire for just two years. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025

In the case of Putin, there is no shortage of possible usurpers. —Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2022

In either mode, they are united by their belief that modern men aren’t getting their due, and the usurpers, in their eyes, are women. —Emma Grey Ellis, WIRED, 10 July 2019

Many Sunni Arabs in eastern Syria rebelled against Assad and viewed the YPG as usurpers. —Brian Katz, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above