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
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
Besides, usurping Jinkx Monsoon for Miss Piggy would fan the ferocious flames of backstage drama and turmoil (hmmm … Smash season-three idea).
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 29 Aug. 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
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
Besides, usurping Jinkx Monsoon for Miss Piggy would fan the ferocious flames of backstage drama and turmoil (hmmm … Smash season-three idea).
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 29 Aug. 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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Monday’s agreement stems from the August 2023 search of the Marion County Record, as well as the home of the paper’s publisher and a councilwoman, seizing reporters’ cell phones and computers, among other items.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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Since seizing power, the Burmese military has waged an unrelenting campaign of terror.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar-winning acting is known for stealing scenes, but during a recent outing in New York City, her straight-leg jeans took the spotlight.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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There’s a lot of concern among professionals across the creative and media industries that generative AI tools are essentially stealing their work by scraping content available on the Internet.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The sweeping opinion ran through a list of Israeli practices that the ICJ said violated international law, including confiscating land, building Israeli settlements in the territories, and depriving Palestinians of natural resources and the right to self-determination.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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Lower courts initially sided with Jouppi, finding that confiscating an entire airplane over the cases of beer was excessive.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 5-11 200-pound standout has accumulated mind-boggling stats through nine games -- 1,098 rushing yards and 17 TDs while grabbing a team-leading 42 passes for 974 yards and 18 scores.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
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Nikola Jokic put up 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting, while also dishing out nine assists and grabbing nine rebounds.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ditto the echoes of The Civil War, also examining a battle that pit brother against brother, and The Vietnam War, in which America became the occupying imperial force failing to understand or successfully combat a domestic insurgence.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
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Currently, there are no other films occupying that date.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Second, the large amplitudes of the gravitational waves needed to generate the events that Weber was claiming a detection of would provide more energy than could possibly cosmically exist in any-and-all forms of radiation combined; the Universe as a whole ruled his interpretation out.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Nov. 2025
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Orbán, however, denied this, claiming that the Croatian government would need to enlarge the pipeline to meet Hungary’s needs.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Inside the hole, that spin makes the ball roll along the cylinder like a mini-pendulum, converting potential energy into spin and then back again.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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One promising route involves converting carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, which can then be transformed into fuels and chemicals using electricity from renewable sources.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Usurping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurping. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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