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

For China, practical control and influence matter more than formal annexation. — Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Members of his government, including the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, have called for annexation of the West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. — Reuters, NBC news, 27 July 2026

China’s annexation of Tibet in 1950–51 marked the first major turning point in relations between India and China. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 July 2026

Trump’s Gaza peace plan and ceasefire framework explicitly ruled out Israeli occupation or annexation of Gaza. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

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