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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurps
Verb
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Against her will, Fadia becomes trapped in an asylum while her cousin seizes her inheritance, depriving her of even her right to grieve.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
21 Sep. 2025 -
Amelia Mitcham seizes opportunity to help her neighborhood A local investor has renovated a former tavern in Milwaukee's Merrill Park neighborhood.—
Tom Daykin,
jsonline.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When virtual particle pairs pop into existence at the edge of black holes, sometimes the black hole’s gravity grabs one partner while the other escapes.—
Dipangkar Dutta,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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When Catalina goes into the kitchen to refill her calabash, Frances grabs the box of Thompson paperbacks and makes a run for Ray at the restaurant.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Russ steals some latex molds from his movie makeup artist father and transforms himself into Chad with a shaggy wig, a mustache, buck teeth and chin, lip and nose enhancements.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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But sometimes stress over the sheer volume of what’s on our plates steals the most precious moments.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But governance could be eventually handed over to the Palestinian Authority, which already oversees parts of the West Bank, another Palestinian territory which Israel occupies, provided the Palestinian Authority adopts a broad series of reforms.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
30 Sep. 2025
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Still, despite the change around him, Lafrenière occupies a fundamentally similar space on the Rangers’ roster; there simply aren’t many players in the mix who have his ceiling.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 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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However, because capital appropriates the powers of living labor to itself, the distinctiveness of the latter is deeply obscured.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
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Braisted explained that the school district answers to the state, which appropriates most federal funding for MNPS.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Usurps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurps. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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