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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If Europe seizes this opportunity, quantum computing has the power to be a genuine differentiator for the continent, and shape our economy, and world, for the better.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025 -
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper believes a trade could be on the horizon if neither back seizes the opportunity ahead.—
Andy Behrens,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Never one to sit idly by, Danny grabs his NYPD shield and goes bulldozing his way to the crime scene.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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And then Rising walks away, grabs the iPad and motions for Mayer to join him.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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La Tanière du Dragon steals the show, featuring a towering dragon that lies in wait beneath Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.—
Zachary Laks,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Oct. 2025
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Suffice it to say, their centuries-spanning love story steals the show.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The event is being held at the Moscone Center and occupies much of the surrounding area in downtown San Francisco.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
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This ‘Frankenstein’ occupies a world that has been painstakingly constructed.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 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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In addition to the monthly BLS data on jobs and inflation, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a federal agency housed inside the Commerce Department, said Wednesday it is required to suspend operations until Congress appropriates funding for this fiscal year.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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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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Cite this Entry
“Usurps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurps. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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