annexation

noun

an·​nex·​a·​tion ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-shən How to pronounce annexation (audio)
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 adjective
annexationist noun

Examples of annexation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The city will need to approve the annexation at an upcoming meeting. Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2025 His use of the term appeasement echoed the criticism of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who conceded Germany’s annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland in 1938 before World War II. Bart Jansen, USA Today, 8 May 2025 One part of Trump’s would-be peace plan is that the U.S. will recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 7 May 2025 Vladimir Putin has spoken out about who might replace him, the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine and Moscow's annexation of Crimea in a rare interview. Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for annexation

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of annexation was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Annexation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annexation. Accessed 18 May. 2025.

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