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

As Southern critics noted at the time, for the wrong reasons but not with the wrong logic, the American Revolution was itself an act of secession—from a functioning and successful union. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025

Doing so will make any secession attempt much harder. —Ismet Fatih Cancar, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2025

Meanwhile, some have argued that no state can secede on its own by law, making secession highly unlikely. —Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

The party believes the U.S. attention strengthens Greenland's position in secession talks with Denmark and aims to bring a deal with Copenhagen to a vote before the next election in four years. —Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Tom Little, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 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