desegregate
verb
de·seg·re·gate
(ˌ)dē-ˈse-gri-ˌgāt 
desegregated; desegregating; desegregates
: to eliminate segregation in
specifically
: to free of any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units
: to become desegregated
Examples of desegregate in a Sentence
efforts to desegregate the town's buses
Eventually the city's schools desegregated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Davis was a civil rights lawyer who fought to desegregate public schools in Texas.
—
Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
In 1962: Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett physically blocked James Meredith from entering the University of Mississippi, defying a Supreme Court order to desegregate.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In 1975, Jefferson County Public Schools first implemented forced busing under a court order to desegregate schools, which also required the previously separate Louisville and Jefferson County systems to merge.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
Escambia High School opened in the 1950s and was forcibly desegregated in the late 1960s.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desegregate
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Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
In 1962: Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett physically blocked James Meredith from entering the University of Mississippi, defying a Supreme Court order to desegregate.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In 1975, Jefferson County Public Schools first implemented forced busing under a court order to desegregate schools, which also required the previously separate Louisville and Jefferson County systems to merge.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
Escambia High School opened in the 1950s and was forcibly desegregated in the late 1960s.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desegregate
Cite this Entry
“Desegregate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desegregate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
desegregate
verb
de·seg·re·gate
(ˈ)dē-ˈseg-ri-ˌgāt
: to eliminate segregation in
especially
: to end by law the isolation of members of a particular race in separate units
desegregate city schools
desegregation
noun
(ˌ)dē-ˌseg-ri-ˈgā-shən
Legal Definition
desegregate
transitive verb
de·seg·re·gate
dē-ˈse-grə-ˌgāt
desegregated; desegregating
: to eliminate segregation in
specifically
: to free from any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units
: to become desegregated
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