usurp
verb (used with object)
to seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right.
was usurping
-
past progressiveof usurp.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
White says the UFC faced a number of logistical issues in preparing for the event, but the biggest challenge was usurping the Sphere.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2024
The man who was usurping his name was merely his heir.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2022
The all-devouring composer was usurping the poet’s function as the mouthpiece of humanity’s primal myths.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 11, 2016
Like Gen. Grant, he was bewildered and helpless m dealing with a government that was usurping his powers.
From Time Magazine Archive
It mattered not a jot to Stampa that he was usurping the functions of the Church in an outlandish travesty of her ritual.
From The Silent Barrier by Louis Tracy
