to seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right: The pretender tried to usurp the throne.
to use without authority or right; employ wrongfully: The magazine usurped copyrighted material.
verb (used without object)
to commit forcible or illegal seizure of an office, power, etc.; encroach.
Origin of usurp
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin ūsūrpāre “to take possession through use,” equivalent to ūsū (ablative of ūsus “act of using, employment” (see use) + -rp-, reduced form of -rip-, combining form of rapere “to seize” + -āre infinitive ending
There’s no shortage of stories of brands losing control on Amazon, from counterfeit sellers usurping their sales, to Amazon launching competing products of its own.
Why some DTC brands’ Amazon strategies have changed|Anna Hensel|October 16, 2020|Digiday
Others, such as streaming usurping linear TV’s position among audiences and advertisers, may not become apparent for at least another year.
How the future of TV and streaming has – and hasn’t – been reshaped so far by 2020|Tim Peterson|September 16, 2020|Digiday
Instagram may have the upper hand at the moment as the more established platform, but as the platform establishing a more direct way for creators to make money, TikTok has an opportunity to usurp Instagram’s position.
‘There is a battle going on’: TikTok-Instagram rivalry for creators heating up|Tim Peterson|August 3, 2020|Digiday
Less than a month later, Brett Mastrangelo attempted to usurp McConaughy’s record but had to call it quits two days in because of a leg injury.
Canceled Races Aren’t Stopping Endurance Athletes From Setting Wild New Records|Anna Wiederkehr (anna.wiederkehr@abc.com)|July 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The Constitutional Court is “absolutely part of the old guard trying to usurp power,” he tells The Daily Beast.
Thailand: Into the Void|Lennox Samuels|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
The Conservative Crusade For Christian Sharia Law|Dean Obeidallah|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Makes you wonder why conservatives care so much who sits on the Supreme Court—since they seem determined to usurp its job.
The Tea Party's Blind Spot|Peter Beinart|January 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
“It would be very difficult for her to come out and usurp power at this point,” he said.
North Korea's 'Evil' Sister|Philip Shenon|September 28, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Popes had tried in past times to usurp authority in England.
The Divorce of Catherine of Aragon|J.A. Froude
I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Handbook of Freethought|Various
We dare not usurp a privilege which has no other basis than our inner task.
The Goose Man|Jacob Wassermann
New interests, new lines of work, began to usurp the place which pure morphology had held so long.
Form and Function|E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
No pink-and-white coquetry could usurp her right to suffer with him and for him, at all events.
A Charming Fellow, Volume III (of 3)|Frances Eleanor Trollope
British Dictionary definitions for usurp
usurp
/ (juːˈzɜːp) /
verb
to seize, take over, or appropriate (land, a throne, etc) without authority