usurpation

[ yoo-ser-pey-shuhn, -zer- ]

/ ˌyu sərˈpeɪ ʃən, -zər- /

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See synonyms for: usurpation / usurpations on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act of usurping; wrongful or illegal encroachment, infringement, or seizure.

illegal seizure and occupation of a throne.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Origin of usurpation

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin ūsūrpātiōn- (stem of ūsūrpātiō), equivalent to ūsūrpāt(us) (past participle of ūsūrpāre to usurp) + -iōn--ion

u·sur·pa·tive

[yoo-sur-puh-tiv, ‐zur‐], /yuˈsɜr pə tɪv, ‐ˈzɜr‐/, u·sur·pa·to·ry

[yoo-sur-puh-tawr-ee, ‐tohr-ee, ‐zur‐], /yuˈsɜr pəˌtɔr i, ‐ˌtoʊr i, ‐ˈzɜr‐/, adjective

Wallace interrupted Katzenbach and read a long statement, refusing to “willingly submit to the illegal usurpation of power by the federal government.”
How Robert F. Kennedy Shaped His Brother's Response to Civil Rights|Patricia Sullivan|August 11, 2021|Time
Russians had no choice but face his final decision; his usurpation of political power is sickly humiliating.
To the Streets!|Anna Nemtsova|September 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
All government action is not a usurpation of individual freedom—it's a matter of striking the right balance.
The GOP's War on Teddy Roosevelt|John Avlon|March 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Indignation nerved her spirit as she reflected upon the usurpation thus ostentatiously displayed.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott

But she was quick to discriminate between usurpation, and legal authority.
A short history of Rhode Island|George Washington Greene
But no one has yet seen fit to bring such an action; and the reason is that there has been no usurpation of executive authority.
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various
But during those times of military usurpation, these passions were the same.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part E.|David Hume
Rather than submit to the usurpation of the Guises, they preferred to fall with arms in their hands.
History of the Rise of the Huguenots|Henry Baird