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

Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Trump’s annexation threats carry particular weight in Quebec. — Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

By gradually accomplishing a de-facto annexation of the West Bank, the settlements would require Israeli Jews either to rule over a resentful non-Jewish population of about equal size or to surrender the Jewish identity of their state. — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

With his property the subject of the annexation item and Minneola Mayor Pam Serviss forced to recuse herself due to a conflict of interest, only three council members voted on the item and approved it for annexation by 2-1 vote. — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026

What may well happen, if the opposition fails to win the election, is annexation of the territories, along with maybe a few chunks of Lebanon and even Syria for good measure, and a brittle but lethal apartheid regime. — David Shulman, The New York Review of Books, 26 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