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Definition of "arrogate" []

  • To take or claim for oneself without right; appropriate: Presidents who have arrogated the power of Congress to declare war. See Synonyms at appropriate. (verb-transitive)
  • To ascribe on behalf of another in an unwarranted manner. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "arrogate" in a sentence
  • "I have to admit that I looked up the definition of "arrogate," which means "to claim or seize without right.""
  • "In creating the congressional intelligence committees and enacting FISA, Congress voted, with large bipartisan majorities, that the answer is no—the president cannot arrogate these powers to the executive branch or decide, in isolation, to reinterpret standing law."
  • "They took a horrible set of events—the attacks of 9/11—and used them to create a climate of fear that would justify their drive to reinterpret the Constitution and arrogate unlimited power to themselves."