usurp
Americanverb (used with object)
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usurps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
usurped,
past participle, past
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usurping
present participle
-
to seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right.
The pretender tried to usurp the throne.
-
to use without authority or right; employ wrongfully.
The magazine usurped copyrighted material.
verb (used without object)
-
usurps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
usurped,
past participle, past
-
usurping
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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usurpationnoun
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usurpernoun
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self-usurpverb (used without object)
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nonusurpingadjective
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unusurpingadjective
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usurpativeadjective
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nonusurpinglyadverb
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usurpinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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usurpsimple
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usurpssimple
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have usurpedperfect
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has usurpedperfect
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am usurpingprogressive
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are usurpingprogressive
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is usurpingprogressive
-
have been usurpingperfect progressive
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has been usurpingperfect progressive
Past
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usurpedsimple
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had usurpedperfect
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was usurpingprogressive
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were usurpingprogressive
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had been usurpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of usurp
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin ūsūrpāre “to take possession through use,” equivalent to ūsū (ablative of ūsus “act of using, employment” ( see use) + -rp-, reduced form of -rip-, combining form of rapere “to seize” + -āre infinitive ending
Explanation
If you take over your neighbor's backyard and claim his in-ground swimming pool as your own, you might seize control of, or usurp his yard, but he'll probably call the cops on you. Leaders who usurp power don't ask for permission to take control of their country. They seize power, often with the help of a large army of followers. A usurper doesn't have to be human. A brand-new radio station can usurp the most popular station in town by playing a better mix of music.
Vocabulary lists containing usurp
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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.
See Examples For:
Project 222 is what he and his team call it - 222 seconds being what he needs to target to usurp a mark that has stood for 27 years.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
But I was just trying to find a way for Jonesy and Cookie to play — we weren’t thinking about trying to usurp Johnny or anything like that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
The parties initially weren’t divided over Korea, and Truman didn’t usurp the legislative branch’s power to authorize war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Tuesday's latest reverse meant Celtic missed the chance to usurp Hearts at the top of the table.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
“Does the request of a ghost overrule the plea of a wife? How can your vow of vengeance usurp our marriage vows?”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
District Court for the Eastern District of California, argues the law usurps the NLRB’s authority “by attempting to regulate areas explicitly reserved for federal oversight.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
It usurps the previous record-holder, found in a 5,000-year-old Scandinavian mass grave associated with a possible plague epidemic.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2021
Humbly, she understood that death sometimes usurps small liberties.
From Slate ● May 16, 2020
Justice Burke had ruled that the prosecution’s request amounted to a “‘constructive amendment’ of the indictment and usurps the role of the grand jury.”
From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2019
In some ways, she thinks he usurps what should be her role.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Gemini 2.5 Pro, released in March 2025, and Gemini 3.0 Pro, released in November 2025, enjoyed brief stints at the frontier until Anthropic’s Claude models usurped them, Schwarz said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The insurer was this year usurped as the nation’s biggest personal auto insurer by Progressive, losing a throne it had held since World War II, according to S&P.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Ultimately, society’s ingrained fear of missing out on making money will be usurped by the fear of losing money.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
The 42-year-old has only finished in the top 10 twice in 39 previous major appearances but his five-under 66 was the round of the day before Scheffler usurped him.
From BBC ● May 17, 2025
It was signs like this that usurped my self-esteem and my hope.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Newly shipwrecked on the island is Tolomeo’s usurping brother, Alessandro, who is having second thoughts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Apple had previously drawn close to usurping Nvidia by market value earlier this month.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Because birth rates around the globe have been on the decline for more than a decade, trends in pet primacy are regularly framed as usurping the rightful role of human children.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2025
White says the UFC faced a number of logistical issues in preparing for the event, but the biggest challenge was usurping the Sphere.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2024
It would not do to make him feel as if his mother were usurping his place.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
