usurping

verb

present participle of usurp
as in seizing
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 usurping Eggers made his name by deriding, and then usurping, the literary establishment, in the process defying the tired binary of pure artist versus sellout. — Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026 Beulah's spurned heir Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba) calls up the mysterious Mariana (Raoul Max Trujillo) to help with his many problems, which include his ranch-usurping half-brother Rob-Will and those Duttons from Montana. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026 The opposition’s narrative that Hollywood is usurping home rule is entirely backward. — Keith Poliakoff, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026 But even with the UFC’s challenges, no rival promotion has come close to usurping the sport’s power dynamic. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 21 May 2026 Hegseth and Feinberg, Phelan said, had imposed rigid control over submarine and shipbuilding decisions, effectively usurping the Navy’s authority, these people said. — Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 2 May 2026 One wonders how long the citizens of those communities are going to put up with the state usurping their authority to govern themselves. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026 This would seem to challenge the notion that AI usurping human skills will democratize them—for instance, by broadening who is able to contribute meaningfully to math’s advancement. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 16 Mar. 2026 Callie is popular and vivacious, perpetually surrounded by admirers and various hangers-on (Audrey Grace Marshall’s Cara is hellbent on usurping Minnie’s place in Callie’s life, while her himbo-esque boyfriend Brad is given wonderful dimension through Beck Nolan’s sneaky-good performance). — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurping
  1. seizing
  2. stealing
  3. confiscating
  4. grabbing
  5. occupying
  6. claiming
  7. converting
Verb
  • At home, Indian authorities moved aggressively, seizing his properties and luxury assets, from high-end cars to jewelry and artworks.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Second-year University of Connecticut student Kira Mesick jumped at the chance to fill a resident assistant job at the university’s new, $29 million residence hall in downtown Hartford, seizing on its Pratt Street location.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of seizing
Verb
  • The complaint says Elmi and the three others then began stealing victims' identities to bill Medicaid in their name.
    — Adam Duxter, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • A question of piracy After book authors accused the company of stealing their work to train its Claude AI chatbot, Judge Alsup broke the accusations down into two components and addressed them separately.
    — TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of stealing
Verb
  • While appearing to regulate I-9 compliance, its core purpose is to prevent employers from coercing or intimidating vulnerable workers by confiscating or retaining their IDs.
    — Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Romanian authorities indicted the Tate brothers on the charges in June 2023, placing them on house arrest and confiscating several of their assets.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026
Definition of confiscating
Verb
  • The trio of founders allegedly told investors that the brand would feature an app as its centerpiece and be boosted by major advertising deals and attention-grabbing celebrity photo shoots and cover stories.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
  • One of the most attention-grabbing stars in the sky still keeps its secrets close—and that is one of the main reasons astronomers have so much fun studying it.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of grabbing
Verb
  • Summary British handbag brand DeMellier London is thriving by occupying the space left by soaring luxury prices.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • For now, at least, the evidence suggests the auction houses aren’t riding out luxury’s downturn so much as occupying a different, and currently much healthier, part of the market.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of occupying
Verb
  • Lang and other anti-Islam protesters marched in Dearborn in November 2025, clashing with counter-protesters and claiming the area is not friendly to those who are non-Muslim.
    — Heath Kalb, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • However, maritime law experts point out claiming a territory is not this simple.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of claiming
Verb
  • Webb and Payton will lament converting only 5-of-14 attempts on third down, but the Broncos generally appeared in sync operationally.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • While the humanoid robotics industry has a long way to go, the potential market opportunity has led to Tesla CEO Elon Musk doubling down on robotics, converting EV production lines at the company's Fremont factory to make Optimus humanoid robots.
    — Elaine Yu,Anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of converting

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Cite this Entry

“Usurping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurping. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of usurping for Spanish Speakers

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