usurped

American

[yoo-surpt, -zurpt] / yuˈsɜrpt, -ˈzɜrpt /

adjective

seized by force or without legal right.

When Edward IV deposed Henry VI, some saw it as a providential restoration of the usurped throne to the lawful heirs of Richard II.
deprived of something forcibly or without legal right.

The peasants and other members of the usurped communities have been forced to work as peons in the land that previously belonged to them.
used or employed without authority or right; used wrongfully.

Exploitation of usurped or counterfeited web content is punishable by criminal law.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of usurp.

Other Word Forms

unusurped adjective

Etymology

Origin of usurped

usurp ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

The pre-Virgilian sources suggest that Dido’s brother, Pygmalion, killed her husband and usurped the throne.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

In claiming power to give France a new constitution, Mr. Hardman notes, the assembly “had usurped the rights of the people as well as the king.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

In 2023, according to Guiness, a farmer in Quebec usurped Cool Patch for the title to world’s largest maze.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2024

But over recent decades, ideas around society-level eugenics have been usurped by the more modern cult of self-improvement.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2024

José Arcadio continued to profit from the usurped lands, the title to which was recognized by the Conservative government.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023