Usurp (Verb)
Meaning 1
Seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession; "He assumed to himself the right to fill all positions in the town"; "he usurped my rights"; "She seized control of the throne after her husband died".
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- The military general attempted to usurp power from the government by staging a violent coup.
- She was accused of trying to usurp control of the family business after her father's illness.
- He managed to usurp the project lead position by manipulating the team members and presenting his own ideas as theirs.
- The new king was said to have usurped the throne from his younger brother, who was the rightful heir.
- The activist group fought to prevent corporations from trying to usurp the rights of the indigenous peoples to their ancestral lands.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Take the place of; "gloom had usurped mirth at the party after the news of the terrorist act broke".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- Sorrow had usurped the usual joy in the town after the devastating natural disaster.
- Nightmares had usurped her peaceful sleep since the accident.
- A sense of fear had usurped the initial enthusiasm among the crowd after the unexpected noise.
- Doubts had usurped the confidence in the decision he had made earlier.
- Anxiety had usurped the excitement of the students as the exam dates approached.