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

In 2020, Patinkin narrated a video for the New Israel Fund opposing the annexation of the West Bank. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 12 July 2025

Trump has expressed similar annexation desires about Canada and Greenland. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 9 July 2025

The Valparaiso City Council approved the annexation of an 80-acre parcel in rural Center Township as part of a project led by Lake Acquisitions, Inc. and Prairie Development, LLC. —Phil Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025

Under Ohio law annexation does not have to include any change to schools. —Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 3 July 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