Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To deprive of a crown or royal status: "uncrown" means to remove a monarch from power, typically by force or legal process, effectively ending their reign.
   • To strip of authority or preeminence: In a figurative sense, "uncrown" can refer to removing someone from a position of leadership, dominance, or highest status in any domain.

Usage Examples

• Literal (royal): (They aimed to depose him from the throne.)
• Figurative (leadership): (She defeated and replaced the top-ranked player.)
• Figurative (status): (They displace the previously dominant companies.)

Advanced Usage

• "to uncrown oneself": to voluntarily give up a crown or position of power.

  • The ageing monarch decided to uncrown himself and retire. (He abdicated the throne willingly.)

• "uncrowned king/queen": a person who is widely recognized as the best or most influential in a field, even without an official title.

  • He was the uncrowned king of jazz guitar. (He was considered the greatest, though not officially titled.)

Variants and Related Words

• Uncrowned (adj): not having a crown; deprived of a crown or not yet crowned.

  • The uncrowned prince waited for his coronation. (The prince had not yet been formally crowned.)

• Crown (n/v): the headdress of a monarch; to place a crown on someone.

  • They crowned the new queen in a grand ceremony. (They formally installed her as queen.)

Synonyms

• Depose: to remove from office or power, especially a monarch.
• Dethrone: to remove from a throne; to deprive of supreme status.
• Oust: to expel or remove from a position or place.
• Overthrow: to defeat and remove from power by force.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

• Uncrown someone's efforts: to thwart or undermine someone's attempts to achieve a goal.

  • The scandal uncrowned all his hard work. (It ruined the results of his efforts.)

• Uncrown a champion: to defeat a reigning champion in a competition.

  • The underdog athlete uncrowned the defending champion. (She beat the title holder.)

Related Idioms

• To take the crown: to win a championship or achieve top status (opposite of "uncrown").

  • After years of training, she finally took the crown. (She became the champion.)

• To lose one's crown: to be defeated or dethroned.

  • The king lost his crown in the civil war. (He was deposed from power.)