usurps

verb

present tense third-person singular of usurp
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

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 usurps After witnessing Sinner miss 16 break points against the same opponent on Friday, Alcaraz would have been forgiven for worrying that something similar might happen to him — especially against arguably tennis’s greatest escape artist, at least until the Spaniard usurps him. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurps
  1. seizes
  2. confiscates
  3. grabs
  4. steals
  5. occupies
  6. preempts
  7. appropriates
Verb
  • Rhaenyra, queen of the Blacks, seizes the Iron Throne in King’s Landing with the support of Alicent, who has simply had enough of her unstable and terrible sons.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026
  • Trump seizes America’s 250th-birthday spotlight, headlining the Great American State Fair, hosting a UFC bout at the White House and promoting new passports, $250 bills and coins bearing his image.
    — Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Definition of seizes
Verb
  • Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.
    — Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 26 Nov. 2025
Definition of confiscates
Verb
  • Stewart grabs the ring activating it, before the car crashes in the canyon below.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 24 July 2026
  • This is the kind of bright fragrance that just grabs your senses.
    — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 23 July 2026
Definition of grabs
Verb
  • Milton-Jones ranks third in franchise history in blocks (245) and fourth in points (4,018), field goals (1,509), rebounds (1,882), steals (440) and minutes (10,384).
    — Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • And China is a rule-breaker and steals intellectual property.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of steals
Verb
  • Funko occupies a massive physical footprint in a far corner of the convention center at SDCC, the annual pop culture festival that attracts over 130,000 fans and geeks from around the world.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
  • Unless those fundamentals change, the trade deficit is likely to remain not just persistent, but historically large — regardless of who occupies the White House or how aggressively tariffs are deployed.
    — Ken Roberts, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of occupies
Verb
  • The local ordinances remain on the books, but employers are no longer required to follow their criminal history timing restrictions because state law preempts them.
    — Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • The court held that federal pesticide law preempts a state failure-to-warn claim when the Environmental Protection Agency has not required a cancer warning on the product label.
    — Alex Smolak, STAT, 27 June 2026
Definition of preempts
Verb
  • By contrast, Congress appropriates much of the public-private institution’s funding and exercises oversight over the institution, which is governed by a board of regents.
    — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026
  • The bill appropriates $495 million for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
    — Carrie Brandon Elliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Definition of appropriates

Browse Nearby Words

usurping
usurps
utensil
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Cite this Entry

“Usurps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurps. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of usurps for Spanish Speakers

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