annexation

noun

an·​nex·​a·​tion ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-shən 

plural annexations

1

: the act of annexing something or the state of being annexed : the addition of an area or region to a country, state, etc.

The Senate rejected the Hawaiian reciprocity treaty, the purchase of the Virgin Islands from Denmark, the annexation of Santo Domingo and the annexation of Samoa.

—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

In the early part of the 20th century, Chinese writers generally dated the annexation of Tibet to the 18th century.

—Elliot Sperling

2

: something that is annexed

… defended their annexations with fire and sword.

—George Bernard Shaw

annexational

ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

annexationist

ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-sh(ə-)nist 

noun

Examples of annexation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If approved, the project would still need additional approvals, including annexation through the Yolo County Local Agency Formation Commission. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

The two votes against the annexation were by trustees Randall White and Tiffani Graham. — Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Three weeks after the city stopped the annexation, effectively killing the development, local reporters confirmed that Beale was moving forward with the data center anyway. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026

In February, the cities of Fort Worth and Aledo joined together to sue Willow Park in Parker County, saying the initial annexation was unlawful since the land wasn’t contiguous to Willow Park’s boundaries. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for annexation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation