usurp
Americanverb (used with object)
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to seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right.
The pretender tried to usurp the throne.
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to use without authority or right; employ wrongfully.
The magazine usurped copyrighted material.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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usurpationnoun
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self-usurpverb (used without object)
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unusurpingadjective
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nonusurpinglyadverb
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usurpativeadjective
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nonusurpingadjective
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usurpernoun
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usurpinglyadverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have usurpedperfect
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has usurpedperfect 3rd person singular
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is usurpingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are usurpingprogressive
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usurpssingular 3rd person
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has been usurpingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been usurpingperfect progressive
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usurpingparticiple
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am usurpingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had usurpedperfect
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had been usurpingperfect progressive
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was usurpingprogressive singular
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usurpedparticiple
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usurpedsimple
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were usurpingprogressive plural
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.
Oh, where didst borrow that last sigh, And that relenting groan; Ladies that sigh and not for love, Usurp what's not their own.
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 19, No. 554, June 30, 1832 by Various
To suffer no proud transgressor to spoil One right of our homes, or one foot of our soil, One privilege pluck from our keeping, or dare Usurp one blessing 'tis fit that we share!
From War Poetry of the South by Various
Usurp, ū-zurp′, v.t. to take possession of by force without right.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
For grave eyes, mirrored in the brook, Usurp the urchin's laughing look!
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 20, No. 558, July 21, 1832 by Various
The builder's plank, the mason's hod, Wide and more wide extending still, Usurp the violated sod.
From Toronto of Old by Scadding, Henry
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.
