desegregate

verb

de·​seg·​re·​gate (ˌ)dē-ˈse-gri-ˌgāt How to pronounce desegregate (audio)
desegregated; desegregating; desegregates

transitive verb

: 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

Examples of desegregate in a Sentence

efforts to desegregate the town's buses Eventually the city's schools desegregated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Justices in the case required the board to create a busing plan that would desegregate the school district, spurring the use of buses to integrate schools nationwide. Maia Nehme, Charlotte Observer, 29 July 2025 After the Civil War, South Carolina College briefly desegregated, allowing Black students from 1873 to 1877, but politicians closed the university in 1877 and reopened it as an all-White school in 1880. David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025 The federal court agreed, and in 1947, the decision helped make California the first state to officially desegregate its schools. Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 11 July 2025 Advertisement By 1884, schools in Rhode Island had been desegregated for nearly two decades. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for desegregate

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of desegregate was in 1949

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desegregate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desegregate. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

desegregate

verb
de·​seg·​re·​gate (ˈ)dē-ˈseg-ri-ˌgāt How to pronounce desegregate (audio)
: to eliminate segregation in
especially : to end by law the isolation of members of a particular race in separate units
desegregate city schools
desegregation
(ˌ)dē-ˌseg-ri-ˈgā-shən
noun

Legal Definition

desegregate

transitive verb
de·​seg·​re·​gate dē-ˈse-grə-ˌgāt How to pronounce desegregate (audio)
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

intransitive verb

: to become desegregated

More from Merriam-Webster on desegregate

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