as in seizes
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of usurps
Jokic usurps Nurkic Jusuf Nurkic became Jokic’s first backup center in unceremonious fashion, getting benched by Michael Malone 25 games into his third season.
—
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurps
Verb
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Dolores notices they are gone and begins to lash out, and Abby seizes an opportunity to knock Dolores out.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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Continue reading … CRYPTO CRACKDOWN – DOJ seizes record $15 billion in Bitcoin in largest US forfeiture ever.—
,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Milwaukee Marshall High School confiscates a student’s phone until the end of the day for a first offense, requires a parent pickup after a second offense and issues an automatic suspension for repeat violations.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But the sustained fury grabs you.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
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Today, artificial intelligence grabs headlines and AI stocks are soaring.—
Drew O’Connor,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Oscar Isaac plays the pompous Victor Frankenstein, though Jacob Elordi steals the movie as the tragic and eloquent Creature.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Traverse Wine Coast has something special in every season, but autumn steals the show when the hills light up with color and harvest season brings the grapes in from the vines.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Brands like Attersee and Sophie Bille Brahe have shops on an upper-level floor, while Adam Lippes’ uptown salon-style location occupies the main floor of a Georgian mansion on Fifth Avenue.—
Kathy Lee,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
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How to get to Galveston Galveston occupies most of an island about two miles off mainland Texas.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempts states from enacting laws that conflict with ERISA on regulated benefit plans.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Story editing is a form of self-talk that preempts your under-estimator from seizing control with its bludgeoning feedback.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Typically, Congress passes a budget that appropriates money for the next fiscal year to federal agencies.—
Amy Maxmen,
ABC News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Most legal scholars interpret this to mean that the president’s duty is to spend the money Congress appropriates, and that the president does not have the power to withhold funds.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Usurps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurps. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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