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
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
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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The officer ended up seizing the exempt plates on Farzam’s car, McChesney said.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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In all those cases, the fund may lack the capital for seizing the opportunity.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The sign-stealing scandal of the Houston Astros [who beat the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series].—
Alison Weinflash,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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What was once a guilty-pleasure show for the whole family to enjoy has since captivated audiences through a refreshing social media strategy and stars like Robert Irwin, who is totally stealing hearts on the dance floor and our phone screens.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
31 Oct. 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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These are especially useful for taking public transport, grabbing a quick coffee, or leaving a small tip at a restaurant.—
Asia London Palomba,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
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Peterson led the way, scoring 26 points — 24 before halftime — and grabbing four rebounds.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Toyota had the biggest presence, occupying an enormous space in one of the Tokyo International Exhibition Center’s exhibition halls, which is not surprising for the biggest automaker in the world by volume.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
30 Oct. 2025
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In recent weeks, several videos and images circulating on social media appear to show BASE jumpers leaping from El Capitan, unauthorized campers occupying closed areas and climbers scaling Half Dome’s cables without permits — all in violation of park regulations.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But in the decades since, the iconic mission has become the source of several major conspiracy theories, primarily one claiming that the landing itself was a hoax entirely staged by NASA.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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Rogan fired back by claiming that Harris and her team never agreed to an appearance on his podcast.—
Katherine Schaffstall,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 2025.
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