Thesaurus results for USURPING

usurping

verb

present participle of usurp

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

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 usurping Beulah's spurned heir Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba) calls up the mysterious Mariana (Raoul Max Trujillo) to help with his many problems, which include his ranch-usurping half-brother Rob-Will and those Duttons from Montana. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026 The opposition’s narrative that Hollywood is usurping home rule is entirely backward. — Keith Poliakoff, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026 But even with the UFC’s challenges, no rival promotion has come close to usurping the sport’s power dynamic. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 21 May 2026 Hegseth and Feinberg, Phelan said, had imposed rigid control over submarine and shipbuilding decisions, effectively usurping the Navy’s authority, these people said. — Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 2 May 2026 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 This would seem to challenge the notion that AI usurping human skills will democratize them—for instance, by broadening who is able to contribute meaningfully to math’s advancement. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 16 Mar. 2026 Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance). — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurping

Verb

Many developed a deep affection for the country and its artistic innovations, while seizing on business opportunities.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
And some have responded by seizing the female obsession with looks, already rooted in misogyny, and rebranding it with maximum toxicity—in other words, by becoming looksmaxxers.

— Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026

Definition of seizing

Verb

Those charges stem from Vick allegedly breaking into a former girlfriend’s home, and he is accused of stealing multiple electronic devices, as well as unscrewing the camera that had been located on the porch of her home.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026
Do resigned and admitted to stealing millions in discretionary funds meant to help seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead directing the money to a nonprofit connected to him, according to an LAist report.

— Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 13 July 2026

Definition of stealing

Verb

In some videos, survivors accused soldiers of looting apartments and confiscating donated supplies—claims that remain difficult to independently verify but have fueled widespread outrage.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
Amid anecdotal reports that airport security services have been confiscating bottles of ranch dressing that sports tourists have tried to smuggle out of the country, Kraft Heinz came up with a TSA-friendly size of ranch dressing.

— Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 25 June 2026

Definition of confiscating

Verb

College students would drive—or bike—across the city to shop there before grabbing a snack—perhaps a nutritious multigrain muffin?

— Roseann Cattani, USA Today, 10 July 2026
McKay is accused of grabbing the boy by his ankles, pinning him on the ground and then holding him down by the ankles on the seat portion of a chair.

— Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026

Definition of grabbing

Verb

Beneath those practical debates, however, American lawyers have gradually come to understand themselves as occupying two roles simultaneously, as Robert Gordon described.

— Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
For now, Neil the seal is occupying a stretch of sidewalk, unmoving and unbothered.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of occupying

Verb

That came in response to growing protests by anti-migrant groups claiming, without evidence, that immigrants were contributing to South Africa’s high unemployment rate and problems with crime.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Across social media, there are videos of people claiming to have manifested everything, even their soulmate or dream home.

— Daisy Schofield, Allure, 13 July 2026

Definition of claiming

Verb

Esther Lee, the editorial director at The Knot Worldwide, detailed the jaw-dropping costs behind converting New York City’s iconic arena, Madison Square Garden, into a breathtaking wedding venue for more than 1,000 guests.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 10 July 2026
Outcomes would be partial victories to as many different groups as possible, converting today’s chaotic, often gridlocked, status quo into something more productive.

— Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026

Definition of converting

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“Usurping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurping. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of usurping

verb

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