secede

verb

se·​cede si-ˈsēd 

seceded; seceding

intransitive verb

: to withdraw from an organization (such as a religious communion or political party or federation)

seceder noun

Examples of secede in a Sentence

South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860.

Recent Examples on the Web

In his first Inaugural Address, on March 4, 1861, with seven states having already seceded from the Union, Lincoln proclaimed the essence of secession to be anarchy. —Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

Virginia would go on to secede from the United States, with the Confederacy’s capital in Richmond. —Jesse Bedayn, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026

The Lubbock Republican supports adding portions of Texas’ neighbor after a pair of New Mexico state lawmakers introduced a measure allowing for counties to secede. —Austin Bureau, Dallas Morning News, 9 Apr. 2026

That summons came 165 years ago, days after a member of a Confederate shore battery in South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union, lit the fuse that launched a shell toward Fort Sumter. —Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin secedere, from sed-, se- apart (from sed, se without) + cedere to go — more at suicide

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for secede

• accede
• agreed
• airspeed
• alkyd
• bindweed
• chickweed
• concede
• decreed
• duckweed
• exceed
• flaxseed
• impede

Kids Definition

secede

verb

se·​cede si-ˈsēd 

seceded; seceding

: to withdraw from an organization (as a nation, church, or political party)