usurp

verb

yu̇-ˈsərp 

also

-ˈzərp 

usurped; usurping; usurps

transitive verb

1

a

: to seize and hold (office, place, functions, powers, etc.) in possession by force or without right

usurp a throne

b

: to take or make use of without right

usurped the rights to her life story

2

: to take the place of by or as if by force : supplant

must not let stock responses based on inherited prejudice usurp careful judgment

intransitive verb

: to seize or exercise authority or possession wrongfully

usurpation

ˌyü-sər-ˈpā-shən 

 also  ˌyü-zər-

noun

Did you know?

While often associated with questionable behavior by the royals of eras past, usurp retains its usefulness today. It’s still typically applied when someone takes power without authority or the right to do so, though the power taken is not necessarily political and the question of right and authority may be subject to debate; a city council usurping a mayor’s power is a more traditional use of the word, but one product can be said to be usurping market share from another, and one athlete may claim to have usurped GOAT status. The usurpation can even be sartorial: Amanda Mull, writing for The Atlantic, noted how tracksuits in the 1980s “usurped much of cotton sweatpants’ momentum toward legitimate coolness.” Usurp comes from Latin: usurpare, meaning “to take possession of without a legal claim,” was formed by combining usu (a form of usus, meaning “use,” which also led to the words usually and use) and rapere (“to seize”).

Synonyms

• appropriate
• arrogate
• commandeer
• convert
• expropriate
• pirate
• preempt
• press
• seize
• take over

Examples of usurp in a Sentence

Some people have accused city council members of trying to usurp the mayor's power.

attempting to usurp the throne

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2022, the Lab was usurped by the French Bulldog, who kept the most popular title for 2023. —Kelli Bender, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

While the citizens decide to build a firewall to keep out newcomers (A King and Queen potentially showing up and usurping Prince and Princess? —David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024

But recent elections have seen the far right increasingly usurp centrist conservatives as the main right-wing force. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2024

With prestigious institutions from Georgetown to Carnegie Mellon setting up campuses, Qatar has been able to project an image as the center for higher learning in the Middle East, usurping a position once held by far more populous countries such as Egypt and Lebanon. —Allen Fromherz / Made By History, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French usorper, from Latin usurpare to take possession of without legal claim, from usu (ablative of usus use) + rapere to seize — more at rapid

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

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Kids Definition

usurp

verb

yu̇-ˈsərp 

also

-ˈzərp 

: to seize and hold by force or without right

usurp power from the king

Legal Definition

usurp

verb

yu̇-ˈsərp, -ˈzərp 

transitive verb

: to seize and hold (as office, place, or powers) in possession by force or without right

the courts may not usurp the powers of the legislature

intransitive verb

: to seize or exercise authority or possession wrongfully

usurpation

ˌyü-sər-ˈpā-shən, -zər- 

noun

usurper

yu̇-ˈsər-pər, -ˈzər- 

noun

Etymology

Latin usurpare to take possession of without a strict legal claim, from usus use + rapere to seize