as in seizing
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 usurping
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
The District of Columbia attorney general, however, accused the administration of unlawfully usurping control of the city’s law enforcement and violating a law prohibiting troops from doing domestic police work.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 27 Nov. 2025
Over time, her biological daughters would number in the thousands, usurping the colony until none of the original species remained.
—CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025
Vought has exerted extraordinary control over government spending this year, usurping congressional decisions on how the nation's money is used.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
He has been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with the sheriff and of usurping her authority, leading the county Board of Supervisors to eliminate his position in November 2024.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Can a President break that compact, without consequence, usurping police powers that were never his to begin with?
—Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, mid-rehearsal, their mother, Rose (an absolutely magnificent McDonald), comes thundering onto the stage, usurping Jocko’s leadership and sucking up all of the air into the room.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024
For instance, one of his first actions was to fund the Al-Jazeera Arabic satellite television station, allowing Qatar to set the agenda on TV screens from Casablanca to Cairo, usurping the role once played by state information ministries.
—Allen Fromherz / Made By History, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
Jack King, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
The District of Columbia attorney general, however, accused the administration of unlawfully usurping control of the city’s law enforcement and violating a law prohibiting troops from doing domestic police work.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 27 Nov. 2025
Over time, her biological daughters would number in the thousands, usurping the colony until none of the original species remained.
—CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025
Vought has exerted extraordinary control over government spending this year, usurping congressional decisions on how the nation's money is used.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
He has been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with the sheriff and of usurping her authority, leading the county Board of Supervisors to eliminate his position in November 2024.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Can a President break that compact, without consequence, usurping police powers that were never his to begin with?
—Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, mid-rehearsal, their mother, Rose (an absolutely magnificent McDonald), comes thundering onto the stage, usurping Jocko’s leadership and sucking up all of the air into the room.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024
For instance, one of his first actions was to fund the Al-Jazeera Arabic satellite television station, allowing Qatar to set the agenda on TV screens from Casablanca to Cairo, usurping the role once played by state information ministries.
—Allen Fromherz / Made By History, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurping
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a decision filed last week in Fulton County Superior Court, District Attorney Fani Willis said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute Patty Durand for stealing trade secrets, which is a felony.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Portland cut it to single digits early in the fourth with a pair of at-the-rim makes by Robert Williams III, the second of which Holiday set up by stealing an errant White pass.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Security forces are conducting door-to-door searches, confiscating satellite dishes to identify protesters.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
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After confiscating the device, officials downloaded its data to look at the GPS locations of where the drone had been.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Thomas then appeared to quickly lunge at Leon, swiftly grabbing and lifting him up before body slamming the suspect to the ground.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The invasion of an American city by a federal occupying force might finally have stirred the conscience of the people.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
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As of that month, however, Leiweke was reportedly still occupying a seat on the Oak View board as vice chairman.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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How heartbreaking, and how vile, that any adult claiming compassion would seek to imbue a child with that extreme allergy to their own self.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
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This positions you as someone who understands their space without claiming to have all the answers.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The bankruptcy filing comes only a few months after Fat Brands, the parent company of Twin Hospitality Group and other restaurant brands like Fatburger, Great American Cookies and Fazoli's, began converting Smokey Bones barbecue restaurants into Twin Peaks.—
Greta Cross,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Timmons is converting the former Winstead’s drive-thru into a 138-seat outdoor patio.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Usurping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurping. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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