arrogate

verb

ˈer-ə-ˌgāt How to pronounce arrogate (audio)
Definition of arrogatenext
as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right arrogated the corner office without obtaining prior approval

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of arrogate What shouldn’t happen is for the federal government to arrogate to itself nationalization powers over what fans are so passionate about. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 But all of those ideas for spending or tax rebates, again, all of those are congressional authority that the president is arrogating to himself—something else that would have startled the founders of the country all those 250 years ago. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025 Like Mao and Deng before him, Xi Jinping has arrogated to himself great power. — Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025 Trump arrogated to himself the authority to impose sweeping tariffs on the entire world, a power that properly belongs to Congress, and has caused turmoil throughout the economy; many economic indicators are now pointing in the wrong direction. — The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025 In every period, the essence of politics has been that a tin-pot tsar who wants to arrogate to himself the right to personal, unaccountable power needs to intimidate the honest people who are not afraid of him. — Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogate
  1. seize
  2. usurp
  3. confiscate
  4. grab
  5. occupy
  6. claim
Verb
  • The continent’s political leaders must seize the moment to act, and not let this moment of Europtimism slide.
    — Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for oil shipments.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • But having your name be usurped by a bag is a strangely dehumanizing experience.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
  • By the time the coffee shop building was going up at the end of the route in 1959, Fresco said, interstate freeways were already beginning to usurp Route 66’s role and the Santa Monica route of Interstate 10 had been plotted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of usurp
Verb
  • Police confiscated the robot and two cell phones belonging to the suspects.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The robot and the two young men's mobile phones were confiscated.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of confiscate
Verb
  • Video on social media showed distressed shopkeepers begging young men to stop stealing their inventory—and those young men pushing them aside to grab shoes and food from their shelves.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • One 10-year-old girl, crying and trying to hug her father, was allegedly grabbed by the neck by law enforcement, according to the lawsuit.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of grab
Verb
  • Now in its third modern iteration, the Carrera T occupies a uniquely appealing space within the 911 family.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Protesters have broken into schools and, in some cases, set fire to occupied or blockaded buildings.
    — Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupy
Verb
  • In the documentary, Holmes and Evans also claim research wasn’t done before creating the series.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Some lawsuits have claimed companies used pricing algorithms to undermine competition.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of claim

Browse Nearby Words

arrogantly
arrogate
arrogated
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Cite this Entry

“Arrogate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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