as in seized
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
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Recent Examples of usurped
That could impact the situation of Clarke, who outplayed Doughty and usurped his former position on the power play but logged fewer minutes at right defense just the same.
—
Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 2 May 2026
Vodka had overtaken gin in popularity by 1967, but by 2000 had fully usurped it, like Claudius to King Hamlet—occupied its position, married its wife, and taken control of its lands.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026
In other words, the apparatus that became the modern movie camera, up until digital technology usurped the role that film cameras played in capturing the first 100 years of filmmaking.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Most of those lands were eventually usurped for European farming and their inhabitants dispersed.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
This was of course usurped by my highest BPM recording of the day — a rate of 134 that coincided with my even more boisterous and jubilant reaction to 16-year-old Max Dowman’s 97th-minute game-sealing goal.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The table by the front door was entirely usurped by leashes, harnesses, collars, assorted car seat belts and, of course, poop bags.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
But streaming has usurped DVR use as a way to watch TV after the fact and is now the path to big audiences for network shows.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 5 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit claims the executive order is unlawful and unconstitutional, specifically that DeSantis has usurped the exclusive authority of the federal government to identify and designate terrorist organizations.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 2 May 2026
Vodka had overtaken gin in popularity by 1967, but by 2000 had fully usurped it, like Claudius to King Hamlet—occupied its position, married its wife, and taken control of its lands.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026
In other words, the apparatus that became the modern movie camera, up until digital technology usurped the role that film cameras played in capturing the first 100 years of filmmaking.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Most of those lands were eventually usurped for European farming and their inhabitants dispersed.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
This was of course usurped by my highest BPM recording of the day — a rate of 134 that coincided with my even more boisterous and jubilant reaction to 16-year-old Max Dowman’s 97th-minute game-sealing goal.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The table by the front door was entirely usurped by leashes, harnesses, collars, assorted car seat belts and, of course, poop bags.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
But streaming has usurped DVR use as a way to watch TV after the fact and is now the path to big audiences for network shows.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 5 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit claims the executive order is unlawful and unconstitutional, specifically that DeSantis has usurped the exclusive authority of the federal government to identify and designate terrorist organizations.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurped
Verb
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He was also ordered to pay nearly $111 million in restitution and forfeit roughly $17 million that the government seized from bank accounts.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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So far this year, 12 guns have been seized by Annapolis Police, according to department data.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Detectives confiscated over $10,000 cash, along with narcotics and a firearm, after serving a search warrant Thursday in Westland, Michigan.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
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In 1782, Aspden learned that all of his property had been confiscated and would be sold to aid the patriots in the American Revolution.—
Kimberly Nath,
The Conversation,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Sabres winger Zach Benson took advantage of Lane Hutson stumbling at the defensive blue line, and grabbed a loose puck before setting up Josh Doan for the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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When he was found, deputies said Ortiz became belligerent, yelled at employees, threatened to harm them with a gun, and grabbed one of the resort employees.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Unidentified trespassers stole the control stick out of an R train while it was parked underground in southern Brooklyn back in December — along a stretch of storage track popular with joyriders and graffiti artists.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
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Bregman singled and stole second, and Ian Happ challenged a full-count strike-3 call that was overturned to a walk.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Trying to link ads to consumer outcomes has been a quest that has occupied many on Madison Avenue for years.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
7 May 2026
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Construction could begin after the city signs off on annexation, plats and a new water well for the area, but the developer told council members homes are unlikely to be occupied until after ITD finishes its Karcher Road work, with full build‑out expected to take five to 10 years.—
Noah Daly
May 7,
Idaho Statesman,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The bill, introduced by Democrats in Connecticut, would effectively ban most Glock-style pistols that can be converted into a machine gun.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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The system also achieved an overall carbon conversion efficiency of 83%, meaning a much larger portion of the sludge's carbon was converted into usable fuel rather than remaining trapped in residual waste.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The group ShinyHunters — which previously has claimed to be behind hacks of Ticketmaster and AT&T — is taking credit.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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Chimaev claimed his focus was purely financial.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The funds would be pulled from money that Congress appropriated for health programs tackling malaria, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, nutrition, global health security, HIV/AIDS and more, two federal health policy experts told CNN.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
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Cohen is careful not to let enthusiasm for the science bleed into endorsement of the wellness industry that has appropriated it.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Usurped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurped. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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