Thesaurus results for USURPED

usurped

verb

past tense of usurp

as in seized

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right the mayor usurped the school board's authority when he fired the principal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of usurped Howie Roseman acquired Bigsby after Week 1, and Bigsby eventually usurped Shipley as Barkley’s top backup. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 When Shuja was usurped in Afghanistan by a rival brother, Shuja’s wife, Wa’fa Begum, fled to Lahore for safety. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026 Colby opened camp on the first string but has been usurped the past week by veteran Rob Jones, whose violent streak showed up well in Tuesday’s action against the Titans. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 Mikesic said LivaNova’s actions usurped Cansler’s ability to request information from the company’s corporate representatives and witnesses as her attorneys prepared for trial. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026 His story is one rife with terror, pain and a sweltering rage that has usurped everything around him. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026 Season 2 was a major improvement, which was then usurped by season 3, which brought in new uniforms, new sets, and Michael Piller to head up the writing team. — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026 Since around 2020, the literary precinct of the social-media platform TikTok seems to have usurped older marketing and publicity strategies as a primary driver of sales. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 When talkies usurped silent films, in the late 1920s, theaters scrambled to adapt to a new, squatter format. — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurped

Verb

Many politicians have either seized on the outrage or scrambled to shield themselves from the growing anger.

— Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
The unrest comes as authorities tighten control over its uranium sector, having seized ⁠assets from France’s Orano.

— Reuters, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of seized

Verb

One order prevented federal agents from moving detainees out of state within seventy-two hours of being arrested; another demanded that the government return confiscated belongings to released detainees.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
When referee Rick Knox confiscated the belt, Christian loaded up his wrist brace with a wrench.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of confiscated

Verb

But there’s plenty to keep kids occupied here from pool toys and rafts to beachside games like jenga and bocce.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026
These ideas flew over our heads as kids, and we were mostly occupied by the pretty lights and awesome fight scenes.

— George Yang, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of occupied

Verb

Myers, who is in the final year of his contract, converted 41 of 48 field goals last season, though, and has been with the Seahawks since 2019, so his job is safe for now.

— Andrew Destin, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The result was lines out the door, a local political commendation, and a business that converted attention into revenue in a way most post-villa deals never manage.

— Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of converted

Verb

The declaration stated that White identified as a transgender woman and claimed eligibility under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

— Jackson Thompson , Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Across the archipelago’s more than seven thousand islands, countless sovereign communities once bloomed with distinct languages and traditions, until Spain claimed them all under a single name.

— Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of claimed

Verb

The initial contract between Norman and Mental Health Association Oklahoma was for one year and carried a $383,633 price tag, with $333,633 appropriated from Opioid Settlement Funds.

— Jake Ramsey, Oklahoma Watch, 30 Aug. 2026
The Arkansas General Assembly then appropriated $50 million for site development efforts over two years, according to the commission.

— Dylan Sherman, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of appropriated

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usurpations

usurped

usurping

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“Usurped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurped. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of usurped

verb

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