usurper

American  

[yoo-sur-per, -zur‐] / yuˈsɜr pər, -ˈzɜr‐ /

noun

1. someone who seizes an office or position of power by force or without legal right, or who is perceived to have done so.

   The usurper Vitigis gathered his army together and laid siege to Rome.

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Etymology

Origin of usurper

First recorded in 1400–50; usurp ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

A usurper is someone who wrongfully takes someone else's place. A usurper usually tries to take someone's place on the throne, rather than someone's seat on a bus. If you were married, and someone cheated with your spouse and then married your spouse, you would probably consider that person a usurper: someone who took your place in a way that's shady or wrong. A king who is overthrown would consider the new king a usurper. Usurper is a strong word for someone who has taken or usurped what rightfully belonged to someone else.

Example Sentences

Jordan then bulked up to star in the Coogler-directed boxing movie “Creed,” followed by Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther,” in which he played the title hero’s would-be usurper, Killmonger.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025

Mehmed regarded himself not as a usurper but as the rightful successor to the Byzantines.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

In a handwritten letter that he tweeted on Monday, he called Ms Boluarte a "usurper", and said he had been "kidnapped" and humiliated.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2022

And with breeding season sending Yakei into the middle of something like a messy love triangle, some experts wonder if she may be vulnerable to a usurper.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2022

That is why we are taking over the forges of the usurper Hephaestus.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• authoritarian
• autocrat
• commander
• despot
• totalitarian
• tyrant