usurper
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of usurper
First recorded in 1400–50; usurp ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. )
Explanation
A usurper is someone who wrongfully takes someone else's place. A usurper usually tries to take someone's place on the throne, rather than someone's seat on a bus. If you were married, and someone cheated with your spouse and then married your spouse, you would probably consider that person a usurper: someone who took your place in a way that's shady or wrong. A king who is overthrown would consider the new king a usurper. Usurper is a strong word for someone who has taken or usurped what rightfully belonged to someone else.
Vocabulary lists containing usurper
The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
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This Week in Words : January 19 - 25, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In this tale of an imprisoned queen, her supposedly dead husband, and her struggle against a usurper, brilliantly characterized arias succeed each other like jewels, ratcheting up the emotion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
After the breakup of their marriage, Burden’s husband flipped from provider to usurper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026
Peng's children took over command of the MNDAA, waiting for the opportunity to oust Bai, in their eyes the usurper.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2023
Tied for second place as the people most responsible for the multi-billion-dollar success of Axe Cap — behind only Axe himself — they have been accepted into the brain trust of Axe’s usurper, Mike Prince.
From New York Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
Half the lords in the realm could not tell taxation from tyranny, and would bolt to the nearest usurper in a heartbeat if it would save them a clipped copper.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
