secession

noun

se·​ces·​sion si-ˈse-shən 

1

: withdrawal into privacy or solitude : retirement

2

: formal withdrawal from an organization

Examples of secession in a Sentence

the secession of the Southern states

Recent Examples on the Web

This is epitomized by Sam Houston’s refusal to go along with secession. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

The Constitution simply has no mechanism for legal secession, Chemerinsky said. —Robin Epley, Mercury News, 19 July 2025

House Bill 1008, which the Senate could vote on as early as Monday, would create an Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission charged with studying secession and transfer of counties from Illinois to Indiana. —John Tuohy, IndyStar, 3 July 2025

But the movement garners a level of sympathy from some in the Sikh community, especially in the diaspora, where activists protected by free speech laws can more openly demand secession from India. —Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin secession-, secessio, from secedere

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for secession

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression

Kids Definition

secession

noun

se·​ces·​sion si-ˈsesh-ən 

: the act of seceding