usurpation
Other forms: usurpations
Usurpation means taking someone's power or property by force. Locking the teacher outside of the classroom and taking charge of math class is a form of usurpation.
It may help to remember the word use when thinking of usurpation, which is what happens when you take someone's power or belongings and use them for yourself. When Shakespeare's Macbeth kills King Duncan and replaces him by usurping the throne, that is an act of usurpation. Stealing a person's personal information in order to open up a credit account in his name also counts as usurpation.
-
wrongfully seizing and holding (an office or powers) by force (especially the seizure of a throne or supreme authority)
-
entry to another's property without right or permissionsynonyms: encroachment, intrusion, trespass, violationtypes:inroadan encroachment or intrusiontype of:
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing usurpation
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, with a preamble by John Adams and editing by Benjamin Franklin and other members of Congress, it outlines the offenses of King George III to justify the vote for independence that had taken place two days earlier. With the colonies already one year into a war, the Declaration closed the door on reconciliation with Great Britain and paved the way for the creation of the United States of America. Read the full text here.
Learn these challenging words that you'll encounter in literature, articles, and textbooks.
As you read Thomas Jefferson's "The Declaration of Independence," learn this word list. Here are links to lists for texts in Grade 11's Collection 2: The Declaration of Independence, Preamble and Bill of Rights, The Federalist No. 10, Thomas Jefferson: The Best of Enemies, Colonial American poems, A Soldier for the Crown