sequester

verb se·ques·ter \ si-ˈkwe-stər \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: sequester in a Sentence

Definition of sequester

sequestered; sequestering play \si-ˈkwe-st(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : to set apart : segregate

sequester a jury

b : seclude, withdraw

widely spaced homes are forbiddingly grand and sequestered
—Don Asher

2 a : to seize especially by a writ of sequestration

b : to place (property) in custody especially in sequestration

3 : to bind (a metal or metal ion) in the form of a soluble complex or chelate by adding a suitable reagent for the purpose of preventing precipitation in water solution by chemical agents that would normally bring it about, of solubilizing precipitates already formed, or of otherwise suppressing undesired chemical or biological activity

sequester calcium and magnesium ions in the softening of hard water

; also : to bind or absorb (carbon dioxide) as part of a larger chemical process or compound

… half of the starting material will be used up and half will be char. That can then be put back on the fields, where it will sequester carbon and help grow the next crop.
—Emma Marris

See sequester defined for English-language learners

See sequester defined for kids

Examples of sequester in a Sentence

The jury was sequestered until a verdict was reached.
He was sequestered in his room.

Recent Examples of sequester from the Web

Experts used to think nearly all nitrogen in soil came directly from the atmosphere, sequestered by microbes or dissolved in rain.

— doug main, Scientific American, "Mystery of Earth's Missing Nitrogen Solved," 29 May 2018
The seven men and five women sequestered at a suburban Philadelphia hotel will start weighing charges on Wednesday in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.

— michael r. sisak, Fox News, "Cosby jury set to begin deliberations to decide 80-year-old star's fate," 25 Apr. 2018
The judge, in a reference to that activity, has said the jury will be sequestered and told lawyers on both sides to stay focused on the legal proceedings.

— vera haller, latimes.com, "Bill Cosby faces his retrial in the #MeToo era," 2 Apr. 2018
The panel will be sequestered for the trial, which is the only criminal case to arise from the many accusations made against Mr. Cosby by women, all of which Mr. Cosby has denied.

— New York Times, "Bill Cosby Paid His Sex Assault Accuser $3.38 Million in Settlement," 9 Apr. 2018
This time, the jury was picked from Montgomery County but will be sequestered in a local hotel just as the first jury was.

— maria puente, USA TODAY, "Bill Cosby's retrial: What you need to know before opening statements," 8 Apr. 2018
The seven men and five women will be sequestered for the whole trial, alongside six alternates lawyers will start looking for Thursday.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "Meet the new school board, Phillies home opener, DA Krasner under fire | Morning Newsletter," 5 Apr. 2018
There are two fully stocked bars (including one next to the pool), three restaurants, and gardens with plenty of hidden corners where lovers can sequester themselves.

— alice newell-hanson, Condé Nast Traveler, "19 Hotels That Used to Be Churches, Temples, and More," 29 Mar. 2018
He is sequestered in a plastic tent for weeks, scared and lonely.

— chris ballard, SI.com, "Same Warrior, New Battle: Brian Grant Won't Back Down From Parkinson's Disease," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sequester.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sequester

Middle English sequestren, from Anglo-French sequestrer, from Latin sequestrare to hand over to a trustee, from sequester third party to whom disputed property is entrusted, agent, from secus beside, otherwise; akin to Latin sequi to follow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

sequester Synonyms

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

sequester

noun

Definition of sequester

1 obsolete : separation, isolation

2 : the imposition of automatic government spending reductions in accordance with sequestration

Recent Examples of sequester from the Web

Coastal wetlands buffer the state from storm surge, absorb flooding, filter water and sequester greenhouse gases, all reasons that have prompted the state to launch a 50-year, $50-billion effort to restore the coast.

— sara sneath, NOLA.com, "As Louisiana's coast washes away, state cashing in on disputed oil and gas rights," 31 May 2018
Getting out from under the defense sequester has been a driving issue for military hawks, like Sen. John McCain of Arizona, all year.

— david lauter, latimes.com, "Bipartisanship prevails — by sending the debt sky high," 9 Feb. 2018
Both sides want to lift spending caps on defense and domestic programs, remnants of the 2013 sequester that could trigger an automatic $6 billion in cuts this fiscal year.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Everything You Need to Know About the Government Shutdown Fight," 16 Jan. 2018
His team from Del Rosario University in Bogotá is tracking pioneer species, how long reforestation takes, and whether secondary forests in the Andes sequester as much carbon as primary forests.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Colombian scientists race to study once-forbidden territory before it is lost to development—or new conflict," 26 Apr. 2018
While such sequesters, as they were known, were not unheard of, the kidnapping became an international scandal and contributed to the anti-clerical sentiment sweeping across Europe.

— nicole winfield, Fox News, "Case of Jewish boy taken by pope flares over doctored memoir," 20 Apr. 2018
These kinds of laws are often easily circumvented, like in 2011, when the Obama-era impasse over deficit reduction ultimately resulted in the 2013 sequester.

— tara golshan, Vox, "House Republicans are voting to make deficits unconstitutional after their $1.5 trillion tax cut," 12 Apr. 2018
Pentagon officials are worried about giving money back after claiming that mandatory spending caps since 2011, known as a sequester, had affected training, planning and maintenance.

— david s. cloud, latimes.com, "Pentagon's new problem after years of crying poverty: Spending all the cash," 1 Mar. 2018
President Barack Obama also called to change the sequester, a reference to the 2011 Budget Control Act that was intended to cap funding for the military unless Congress could agree to a long-term spending plan.

— alan gomez, USA TODAY, "We fact checked 15 Trump State of the Union points. Some rang true, others mostly false or exaggerated," 31 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of sequester

1604

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SEQUESTER Defined for English Language Learners

sequester

verb

Definition of sequester for English Language Learners

: to keep (a person or group) apart from other people
law : to take (property) until a debt has been paid

Medical Dictionary

sequester

transitive verb se·ques·ter \ si-ˈkwes-tər \

medical Definition of sequester

: to hold (as a metallic ion) in solution especially for the purpose of suppressing undesired chemical or biological activity

sequester

noun

medical Definition of sequester

: sequestrum

Law Dictionary

sequester

transitive verb se·ques·ter \ si-ˈkwes-tər \

legal Definition of sequester

sequestered; sequestering

1 : to place (as a jury or witness) in seclusion or isolation

Note: Juries are sequestered in order to preserve their impartiality. Witnesses are sequestered so that their testimony is not influenced by the testimony of prior witnesses.

2 a : to seize especially by a writ of sequestration

b : to deposit (property) in sequestration

Origin and Etymology of sequester

Anglo-French sequestrer, from Middle French, from Latin sequestrare to hand over to a trustee, from sequester third party to whom disputed property is entrusted, agent, from secus beside, otherwise