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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”).
Examples of usurp in a Sentence
Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Jokic usurps Nurkic Jusuf Nurkic became Jokic’s first backup center in unceremonious fashion, getting benched by Michael Malone 25 games into his third season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Bennett might return from injury and usurp both Ringo and Jackson, which appeared a possibility before the injury.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Tata Sons followed this with an equally detailed press release accusing Mistry of running the business badly and even trying to usurp control of operating companies.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for usurp
Cite this Entry
“Usurp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usurp. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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usurp
verbLatin usurpare to take possession of without a strict legal claim, from usus use + rapere to seize
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