usurped

American  

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

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. used or employed without authority or right; used wrongfully.

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

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verb

1. 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

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

While leading tennis pros still command huge attention, there is a perception that golfers have been usurped by female footballers and basketball luminaries such as the Indiana guard Caitlin Clark.

From BBC • May 29, 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

And because they were still hungry and didn’t want to waste food, they picked the hot dogs off the grass and ate them right before a flock of seagulls usurped them.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

Related Words

• annex
• preempt
• supplant
• wrest