as in to seize
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 usurp
But the White House has framed the judge as attempting to usurp the power of the presidency.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2025
The movie takes place in 1957, when Genovese is jealous of Costello’s power and influence and wants to usurp him as the big boss in New York.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, claims OPM is usurping congressional authority.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
Trump and some Republican allies have attacked Boasberg, calling for his impeachment and accusing him of seeking to usurp the power of the presidency.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for usurp
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2025
The movie takes place in 1957, when Genovese is jealous of Costello’s power and influence and wants to usurp him as the big boss in New York.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, claims OPM is usurping congressional authority.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
Trump and some Republican allies have attacked Boasberg, calling for his impeachment and accusing him of seeking to usurp the power of the presidency.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for usurp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurp
Verb
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Attackers could seize on the pattern by identifying nonexistent packages that are repeatedly hallucinated.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
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Officials seized less than 50 pounds of fentanyl along the U.S. northern border in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the AP, citing U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The pair collaborated on searching freight shipments, storage units and vehicles to confiscate drugs, targeting marijuana in particular because it was stored locally rather than sent to the DEA, according to officials.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2025
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Some of them have taken advantage of the departure of foreign and multinational corporations from Russia by buying depreciated assets or simply confiscating them, generally with the support of powerful insiders, such as the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.—
ALEXANDER GABUEV,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The return would be enough to steal Abbott from the Reds.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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The Pacers will return home for Games 5 and 7 (if necessary), which means the Bucks would need to steal two road wins to advance.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Antetokounmpo finished the game by scoring 36 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and blocking two shots.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
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Police said that once Davis left the apartment, the surviving 10-year-old quickly grabbed her baby brother, locked the door and called for help.—
Chris Spargo,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Last spring, Harvard students protesting Israel's retaliatory attacks on Gaza occupied the university's central courtyard for 20 days and staged a 24-hour sit-in in another building.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Israeli Defense Forces now claim to occupy some 30% of Gaza territory.—
Lucien Bruggeman,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That converts to a 0.093% blood alcohol content by volume.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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This vac is also a hybrid model that converts into a handheld option for more portable or exact cleaning needs, plus charging is made particularly easy thanks to a wall-mountable charging port.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Usurp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurp. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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