sequester

verb se·ques·ter \ si-ˈkwe-stər \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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

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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

The trial is expected to last a month, O'Neill said, and jurors will be sequestered in a hotel.

— eric levenson, CNN, "This ruling in Bill Cosby's retrial could undermine prosecutors' main witness," 3 Apr. 2018
Defense attorneys have said jurors should be told to prepare for a trial that lasts one month, and the panel will be sequestered.

— CBS News, "Bill Cosby trial judge delivers defense 2 big victories," 3 Apr. 2018
Opening arguments are scheduled to begin the following Monday, after 12 jurors and six alternates have been selected and sequestered.

— laura mccrystal, Philly.com, "This time, Bill Cosby jurors might not hear he gave women Quaaludes, judge says," 30 Mar. 2018
But the jurors, who were sequestered at a local hotel Tuesday night, rejected that claim.

— marc freeman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Jury convicts man in wife's slaying; prosecutors to seek death penalty," 7 Mar. 2018
The Wings were ready to sequester Konstantinov in the Riverfront Apartments, just down the street from Joe Louis Arena.

— keith gave, Detroit Free Press, "Russian Five: How Konstantinov faked cancer to join Detroit Red Wings," 26 Mar. 2018
In the early days of spring training, Robert Van Scoyoc could be found at Salt River Fields either standing behind a batting cage, sequestered in the video room or sitting in the dugout alongside the hitting coaches.

— nick piecoro, azcentral, "Arizona Diamondbacks hope for an edge with hitting strategist Robert Van Scoyoc," 7 Mar. 2018
The bill would offer a tax credit per ton of carbon dioxide that is captured and either sequestered, used for another end product, or used for enhanced oil recovery.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Budget deal has tax credit extensions for nuclear, fuel cells, carbon capture," 9 Feb. 2018
Worried organizers sequester 1,200 people in their rooms.

— USA TODAY, "Norovirus at Olympics has officials scrambling, worried," 7 Feb. 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

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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

DisposeRx packets have a polymer blend that when combined with warm water in the pill bottle sequesters any type of prescription drug, whether a powder, pills, tablets, capsules, liquids or patches, into a biodegradable gel.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "Walmart Takes on the Opioid Crisis With a New Tool That Destroys Drugs," 16 Jan. 2018
And the extent to which the earth can provide habitats for plants and animals, sequester atmospheric carbon and regulate the flow of freshwater depends on the vastness of the least affected regions.

— jason g. goldman, Scientific American, "Acreage of Pristine Landscapes Declined Significantly So Far This Century," 1 July 2017
But the supercommittee couldn’t reach an agreement, setting up across-the-board cuts known as the sequester in 2013.

— kristina peterson, WSJ, "Explaining the Major Spending Bill Congress Will Soon Unveil," 14 Mar. 2018
But Congress decided to bust through the sequester caps and add $128 billion to domestic programs for the next two years.

— glenn kessler, Washington Post, "The White House’s spin that its budget reduces the deficit by $3 trillion," 16 Feb. 2018
To sum up, even before the defense sequester, there was a growing mismatch between American strategy and American resources.

— jim talent, National Review, "The Budget Deal Won’t Be Enough to Get the Armed Forces Trump Wants," 13 Feb. 2018
In the past, Congress has boosted spending beyond limits of the sequester, and will be asked by Trump to do so again.

— 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
Neither side wanted the automatic cuts, or sequesters — they were intended to frighten both parties into a spending compromise.

— david lauter, latimes.com, "Bipartisanship prevails — by sending the debt sky high," 9 Feb. 2018
Everyone knew the sequester would have that effect; Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned of its disastrous consequences.

— jim talent, National Review, "The Budget Deal Won’t Be Enough to Get the Armed Forces Trump Wants," 13 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of sequester

1604

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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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