sequester
verb
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Definition of sequester
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to set apart : segregate sequester a jury
b : seclude, withdraw widely spaced homes are forbiddingly grand and sequestered— Don Asher
2a : 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
sequester
nounDefinition of sequester (Entry 2 of 2)
1 obsolete : separation, isolation
2 : the imposition of automatic government spending reductions in accordance with sequestration
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Synonyms & Antonyms for sequester
Synonyms: Verb
cut off, insulate, isolate, seclude, segregate, separate
Antonyms: Verb
desegregate, integrate, reintegrate
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Examples of sequester in a Sentence
Verb
The jury was sequestered until a verdict was reached. He was sequestered in his room.Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Because not even algae can form there, the zone has become a place where carbon released by plankton can be sequestered for periods ranging from decades to thousands of years. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "NASA Is Stepping Into the Twilight Zone," 19 June 2018 One network, in hopes of scoring interviews, even booked a room at the DoubleTree Hotel in Plymouth Meeting, where the panel had been sequestered for more than a month. — Jeremy Roebuck, Philly.com, "Names of Bill Cosby jurors released as judge responds to media requests," 18 May 2018 His son, Joey, will witness the drawing in the backroom, where he will be sequestered until the onstage unveiling is over. — K.c. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls have had their eyes on Tuesday's NBA draft lottery ever since deciding to rebuild," 14 May 2018 It can then be used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or sequestered. — David Roberts, Vox, "That natural gas power plant with no carbon emissions or air pollution? It works.," 1 June 2018 Every team sends two representatives: One (presumably Peterson) will witness the actual ping-pong ball process that determines the top three picks, then is sequestered until the picks are revealed on ESPN. — Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Hornets’ leap to top-3 pick in lottery seems unlikely, but it’s happened before. Twice! | Charlotte Observer," 12 May 2018 Cleary, along with other teams’ lottery witnesses, will not have any means of communication and will be sequestered until the news is revealed while televised (time TBD). — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings assistant will know NHL lottery fate before Ken Holland," 23 Apr. 2018 But in a way, Coppola falls into the same trap her sequestered, narcissistic heroine does. — refinery29.com, "Why Marie Antoinette Is Really Mean Girls, Versailles Edition," 10 July 2018 But the loudest cheers by far went to Seaman himself, who sat with his family under a tent by right field, sequestered from the crowds. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "'I deeply care for my students': Teacher Jason Seaman speaks after Noblesville school shooting," 28 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In the five years the sequester has been in effect, the Department has lost $484 billion dollars compared to Gates’s budget plan. — Jim Talent, National Review, "The Budget Deal Won’t Be Enough to Get the Armed Forces Trump Wants," 13 Feb. 2018 Mortara survived, and when word reached church authorities that a baptized Catholic was living in a Jewish home, the Inquisition ordered his sequester under laws requiring Catholics be raised as such. — Nicole Winfield, Fox News, "Case of Jewish boy taken by pope flares over doctored memoir," 20 Apr. 2018 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. 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for sequester
sequester
verb
English Language Learners Definition of sequester
: to keep (a person or group) apart from other people
law : to take (property) until a debt has been paid
See the full definition for sequester in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sequester
transitive verb
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Medical Definition of sequester
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to hold (as a metallic ion) in solution especially for the purpose of suppressing undesired chemical or biological activity
sequester
nounMedical Definition of sequester (Entry 2 of 2)
sequester
transitive verb
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Legal Definition of sequester
(Entry 1 of 2)
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.
2a : to seize especially by a writ of sequestration
b : to deposit (property) in sequestration
sequester
nounLegal Definition of sequester (Entry 2 of 2)
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