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

There is no roadmap for what secession would entail, Solberg said, especially with questions on whether the end goal is to be independent or to join the US. —Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026

Texas, a state of 32 million that’s long flirted with secession, now occupies the center of the new map of influence. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026

For now, Aden is calm, despite fury at what many view as Saudi Arabia’s sabotage of a long overdue secession. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026

President Abraham Lincoln notably invoked the Act in 1861, in response to the secession of seven southern states at the outbreak of what is now known as the Civil War. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 15 Jan. 2026

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