as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
arrogated the corner office without obtaining prior approval
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Recent Examples of arrogate
But all of those ideas for spending or tax rebates, again, all of those are congressional authority that the president is arrogating to himself—something else that would have startled the founders of the country all those 250 years ago.
—
David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Like Mao and Deng before him, Xi Jinping has arrogated to himself great power.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Politicians exist to spend, and Congress arrogated to itself what was left over after existing Social Security recipients were paid.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Trump arrogated to himself the authority to impose sweeping tariffs on the entire world, a power that properly belongs to Congress, and has caused turmoil throughout the economy; many economic indicators are now pointing in the wrong direction.
—The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025
Back before the federal government arrogated to itself an outsize role as financier of college education, the Wayne States of the world were where ambitious people who didn’t have a lot of money, who wanted to save money on college, or both, got their degrees.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
In every period, the essence of politics has been that a tin-pot tsar who wants to arrogate to himself the right to personal, unaccountable power needs to intimidate the honest people who are not afraid of him.
—Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
The Bibi Files uses a mix of talking-head history and in-the-room vérité to paint its picture of a leader who has arrogated power for corrupt and self-interested reasons — the allegations are of some $250,000 in gifts received in exchange for political favors — to his country’s detriment.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Like Mao and Deng before him, Xi Jinping has arrogated to himself great power.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Politicians exist to spend, and Congress arrogated to itself what was left over after existing Social Security recipients were paid.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Trump arrogated to himself the authority to impose sweeping tariffs on the entire world, a power that properly belongs to Congress, and has caused turmoil throughout the economy; many economic indicators are now pointing in the wrong direction.
—The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025
Back before the federal government arrogated to itself an outsize role as financier of college education, the Wayne States of the world were where ambitious people who didn’t have a lot of money, who wanted to save money on college, or both, got their degrees.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
In every period, the essence of politics has been that a tin-pot tsar who wants to arrogate to himself the right to personal, unaccountable power needs to intimidate the honest people who are not afraid of him.
—Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
The Bibi Files uses a mix of talking-head history and in-the-room vérité to paint its picture of a leader who has arrogated power for corrupt and self-interested reasons — the allegations are of some $250,000 in gifts received in exchange for political favors — to his country’s detriment.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogate
Verb
-
Shaw says a firearm that was believed to have been used was seized.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The laws, which her party backed in recent years, eliminated preliminary detention in certain cases and raised the threshold for seizing criminal assets.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rookie catcher Daniel Susac isn’t going to usurp Bailey, a two-time Gold Glover, after a couple of good starts, but Susac could very well see more time against lefties.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
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One wonders how long the citizens of those communities are going to put up with the state usurping their authority to govern themselves.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The same casino employee returned with an Indiana State Police officer, Fagan said, who confiscated the banner again.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Will our king have the DOJ and the FBI confiscate voting machines?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At one point, one of his attackers grab’s Pierre’s hoodie and throws him to the ground.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
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The cat lunged, grabbed Bender’s arm, and just as quickly, the hunter shook it off, and the animal bolted.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Shortly after the full-time whistle blew on Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, a weary team trudged over to the corner of the ground occupied by the travelling fans.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Local media reports suggest the fallen statue was in the Christian village of Debl, near the Israeli border in an area IDF forces have occupied for several weeks, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.—
April 20,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Taiwan is self-ruled but China claims the island as part of its territory.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claimed that the talks set for Saturday would not happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arrogate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogate. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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