Thesaurus results for USURP

usurp

verb

yu̇-ˈsərp

as in to seize

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right the mayor usurped the school board's authority when he fired the principal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of usurp The War of the Two Caesars also serves as a nice mirror for everything going down with the Brotherhood, Elder Cleric Quintus still hellbent on usurping the Commonwealth despite the arrival of Kumail Nanjiani’s Paladin Xander Harkness, an emissary from that neck of the woods. —

Jack King, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025 But, in the United States, its role was usurped by Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language, which made its début in 1828. —

Louis Menand, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025 But unbeknownst to the Germans, their international plan had been usurped. —

Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025 Jefferies believes that small-cap stocks will usurp their larger counterparts in 2026 to lead the market higher. —

Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for usurp

Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurp

Verb

Venezuela seized Exxon's and Conoco's assets in 2007, and Caracas owes the companies billions of dollars in outstanding claims from arbitration cases.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026
Hannah Natanson, who covers the federal government, was at home when the FBI searched the property and her devices, seizing a phone, Garmin watch and both a personal and work laptop, according to the news organization.

— BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026