Usurp — A Vocabulary Story
The Class Monitor Dispute
Milo had been class monitor for exactly three weeks when disaster struck.
It happened on a Tuesday morning. Milo arrived early, placed his official monitor badge on his desk, and went to sharpen his pencil. When he returned Sophie was sitting in his chair, wearing his badge, and holding his special clipboard.
"What are you doing?" Milo gasped.
"I'm the new monitor," Sophie announced, examining her fingernails casually. "I've decided the class needs better leadership."
"You can't just usurp me like this!"
Usurp means to take a position of power or importance illegally or by force.
"I already have," Sophie said, ticking names off the register with Milo's favourite purple pen.
By now, half the class had arrived and were watching with great interest. Sophie's best friend Chloe was grinning. "Wow! You're brave. Can you just usurp the class monitor?"
"No she can't!" Milo protested.
Milo marched straight to Mrs Li. "Sophie's stolen my monitor position!"
Mrs Li looked up from her coffee. "Has she now?"
"Yes! She just took it while I was sharpening my pencil."
Mrs Li walked over to Sophie's desk, where Sophie was now attempting to reorganise the book shelves.
"Sophie," Mrs Li said calmly, "did you overthrow Milo in some sort of classroom coup?"
Sophie looked up innocently. "He left his badge unattended. I thought he'd resigned."
"By going to sharpen a pencil?"
"It seemed suspicious," Sophie shrugged.
"Right," Mrs Li retrieved the badge. "Sophie, you can't take someone's position, and usurp them, just because they've gone to sharpen a pencil. That's not how democracy works."
"But I'd be such a good monitor!" Sophie protested.
"Then apply for the position like everyone else by putting your hand up the next time I ask."
As Milo triumphantly reclaimed his badge, Sophie slumped in her seat. "Fine. But when I do become monitor, I'm banning pencil-sharpening during register time."
Milo clutched his badge tighter. He'd never realised being class monitor meant so much to him.
Word Definition
usurp
meaning
to take a position of power or importance illegally or by force
synonyms
confiscate · annex · preempt · supplant · wrest
antonyms
offer · refuse · release
example sentence
The general attempted to usurp control of the government.