usurp
verb (used with object)
to seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right.
had usurped
-
past perfectof usurp.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
By the time Mishra had usurped Karjakin’s throne, he had played 70 games of chess in only 78 days.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2021
Videos emerged, too, of them confronting white demonstrators who had usurped the mantra of “black lives matter,” which gave birth to a movement for racial justice and police accountability, in seemingly random acts of defacement.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 1, 2020
Two hours after Harvey put up his picture, he returned to find someone had usurped him.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 22, 2019
It was a barely veiled suggestion that Adams, with his appointments, had usurped the will of the people.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 19, 2017
It seemed that his suspicions had long ago been utterly eradicated, and that a liking had usurped their place.
From First Person Paramount by Ambrose Pratt
