dethrone
Americanverb (used with object)
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to remove from a throne; depose.
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to remove from any position of power or authority.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has dethronedperfect 3rd person singular
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have dethronedperfect
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is dethroningprogressive 3rd person singular
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dethroningparticiple
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have been dethroningperfect progressive
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am dethroningprogressive 1st person singular
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are dethroningprogressive
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has been dethroningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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dethronessingular 3rd person
Past
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had dethronedperfect
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was dethroningprogressive singular
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were dethroningprogressive plural
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had been dethroningperfect progressive
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dethronedsimple
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dethronedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of dethrone
Explanation
To dethrone means to remove a king or queen from power, like when Mary, Queen of Scots was kicked out of Scotland. You can also dethrone someone less formally, as when you dethrone your school's fastest runner by beating her mile time. In today's politics, to force a leader out of office is to depose them — except in the case of a monarchy, when we use the word dethrone. It literally means "to remove from the throne" and therefore refers specifically to those who sit on thrones: namely, kings and queens. You can also use this word in a figurative way to mean "remove from a dominant position." So, for example, you can say that the new jump rope champion dethrones the previous record holder.
Vocabulary lists containing dethrone
Get Out of Town!
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Adventures of Don Quixote
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 31–June 6, 2026
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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.
A kickboxing world champion attempts to dethrone boxing's unified heavyweight king at the foot of the Pyramids of Giza - it sounds like the plot of Hollywood's latest blockbuster movie.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Now, he'll be trying to dethrone 73-year-old Collins in the election.
From Barron's • May 3, 2026
But, by the numbers, the Spurs have already distinguished themselves as the likeliest team to dethrone the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Redondo Union is one of several teams with the firepower to dethrone Mater Dei.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025
Because of the championship voters’ pronounced bias toward eastern horses in general and War Admiral in particular, Seabiscuit almost certainly could not dethrone the Horse of the Year without beating him on the track.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions 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.
