Thesaurus results for USURP

usurp

verb

yu̇-ˈsərp

Definition of usurp

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 After Davis’ single appearance, Anne Baxter would step in as the matriarch of the series (as a new character), an ironic echo of Baxter’s Eve ambitiously attempting to usurp Davis’ Margo in the classic All About Eve. — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Aug. 2026 Last year, netizens coined a new term to reflect our growing disdain for AI bots slowly usurping our human agency. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026 In this way, the tech is being used to elevate human intelligence, rather than usurping it. — William Jones, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 When Shuja was usurped in Afghanistan by a rival brother, Shuja’s wife, Wa’fa Begum, fled to Lahore for safety. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for usurp

Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurp

Verb

But the truth of it is that Sharaa forced his hand by seizing swathes of the SDF’s territory in a lightning offensive in January.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
Who knows more of the injustice of the world than the girl who saw her town seized by a white-supremacist coup, the Wilmington massacre, in 1898?

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of seize

Verb

Additional devices were reportedly confiscated at James' home, officials said.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Lebanese soldiers deployed there are tasked with preventing armed non-state actors, like Hezbollah, from coming in; confiscating any weapons and remnants of war; and restoring state authority.

— Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of confiscate

Verb

Last year, when Ohio State hosted Texas, the two QBs were the headliners, but their performances didn’t live up to the hype, as each team’s defense stole the show.

— Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
But Native Americans experienced slavery as stealing of relatives, as a community loss, and it was always intermingled with the stealing of their land and disregard for their sovereignty.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of steal

Verb

Emmys nights one and two saw Widow’s Bay pick up a whopping eight trophies, one short of The Studio’s total of nine last year, and this evening might end with Widow’s Bay grabbing a lot of the same awards The Studio did last year.

— Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Researchers have long recognized that humor can grab attention, deepen social connection, and build attraction.

— Norbert Schwarz, Harvard Business Review, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of grab

Verb

The most reliable tactic is to occupy a choke point where doves enter a field in the morning and in the evening.

— Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
Civilian specialists The 583rd Missile Maintenance Squadron occupies an unusual position within the Air Force’s nuclear mission.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of occupy

Verb

But in 1816 the New Hampshire legislature passed a law aimed at converting it into a state-run university.

— Jacob Weisberg, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
Many systems still need electronic circuits to control the optical components, convert electrical signals into optical ones, and convert them back again.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of convert

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usuals

usurp

usurpation

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“Usurp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurp. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of usurp

verb

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