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

Garcia said that before the attack, residents were already alarmed by a May news release from the city manager of neighboring Rio Vista, who warned that the project and potential annexation could open the door to a giant data center being built. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Despite being a latecomer to imperialism, through military annexation and invasion Japan took control of large swaths of Asia. — Pei-Hsu Lin, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026

Benjamin Harrison’s policy of overseas expansion in search of foreign markets coincided with the desire of the white business class of Hawaii for annexation by the United States. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026

According to city documents, the Development Process Committee conditionally approved the annexation, rezoning and variances in July. — Emily McLeod, CBS News, 7 Aug. 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