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

One explanation is that the belongings were hidden amid Nazi Germany’s annexation of the region in the 1930s. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025

Trump doubles down on Canadian annexation In the week before the election, polls narrowed. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025

Ukraine has said its ready for peace but a sticking point in talks has been the Russian annexation of Crimea. —Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025

President Trump’s recent ultimatum proposing U.S. recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea has intensified the diplomatic divide within Europe, forcing European capitals to choose between Kyiv or Washington. —Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

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