desegregate
verb
de·seg·re·gate
(ˌ)dē-ˈse-gri-ˌgāt 
desegregated; desegregating; desegregates
: to eliminate segregation in
specifically
: to free of any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units
: to become desegregated
Examples of desegregate in a Sentence
efforts to desegregate the town's buses
Eventually the city's schools desegregated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Operation Breadbasket In the 1960s, the SCLC launched Operation Breadbasket, a campaign to desegregate jobs and increase employment opportunities for Black Americans.
—
Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Their subsequent arrest helped to desegregate the library.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 17 Feb. 2026
Racial disparities in Milwaukee remain significant despite a 1976 federal court order to desegregate public schools.
—Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 16 Jan. 2026
But when neighboring beaches were desegregated in 1964, the park shuttered and eventually, after decades of abandonment, became inhospitable.
—Essence, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desegregate
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Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Their subsequent arrest helped to desegregate the library.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 17 Feb. 2026
Racial disparities in Milwaukee remain significant despite a 1976 federal court order to desegregate public schools.
—Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 16 Jan. 2026
But when neighboring beaches were desegregated in 1964, the park shuttered and eventually, after decades of abandonment, became inhospitable.
—Essence, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desegregate
Cite this Entry
“Desegregate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desegregate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
desegregate
verb
de·seg·re·gate
(ˈ)dē-ˈseg-ri-ˌgāt
: to eliminate segregation in
especially
: to end by law the isolation of members of a particular race in separate units
desegregate city schools
desegregation
noun
(ˌ)dē-ˌseg-ri-ˈgā-shən
Legal Definition
desegregate
transitive verb
de·seg·re·gate
dē-ˈse-grə-ˌgāt
desegregated; desegregating
: to eliminate segregation in
specifically
: to free from any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units
: to become desegregated
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