usurped
Americanadjective
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of usurped
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.
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 later stages of the show highlight a few transitional designers whose work either shaped or anticipated the Midcentury Modernist movement that usurped Art Deco.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
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
Between 2010 and 2020, medical debt usurped nonmedical debt as the largest source of Americans’ debt in collections, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
From Salon • Dec. 10, 2024
And then chaos usurped with his animal junto.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
