From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishusurpu‧surp /juːˈzɜːp $ -ˈsɜːrp/ verb [transitive] formalREPLACE to take someone else’s power, position, job etc when you do not have the right to There were a couple of attempts to usurp the young king. —usurper noun [countable] —usurpation /ˌjuːzɜːˈpeɪʃən $ -sɜːr-/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
usurp• Streets, created by pedestrians, were usurped by motorists.• He accused Congress of trying usurp the authority of the President.• The mass media, especially television, usurped the job the parties traditionally performed in reaching out to the people.• In so doing they do not usurp the legislative function.• Then a howl went up among conservative critics of the court that it was usurping the role of the legislature.• For years now, self-appointed surgeons without the appropriate training have been performing life-threatening operations usurping the skills of consultant plastic surgeons.• This is seen by some judges as usurping their function.• If schools feel their own roles and responsibilities are being usurped, they will not cooperate.Origin usurp (1300-1400) Old French usurper, from Latin usurpare “to take something by using it”, from usus ( → USE1) + rapere “to seize” 