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

As a result, the share of bilateral trade between the countries in Russia’s overall trade jumped from ten percent before the annexation of Crimea to 18 percent before Putin’s full-scale onslaught against Ukraine in 2022. —Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024

Incorporated by the state, villages and cities are carved out of a town's land by petition and annexation. —Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2024

While there were some pro-Russia pockets in cities like Sevastopol who favored annexation by Moscow, that sentiment was generally not considered to be widespread. —Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, accused Moldova and the West of needlessly stoking tensions with speculation about a possible Russian annexation. —Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024

The current Israeli government had all but disavowed a two-state outcome and included right-wing members who openly aspired to full annexation of Gaza and the West Bank. —Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

Military confrontation with Venezuela appears unlikely for now, but several countries have echoed Guyana’s concerns over an annexation by its neighbor to the west. —Bert Wilkinson, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024

During the event, city staff will provide information about the annexation, answer questions and collect feedback from attendees. —Mike Jones, arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2024

Tatars were among those who opposed Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and rights groups noted Russian authorities’ persecution of the minority group in the aftermath. —Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1