sequester

verb

se·ques·ter | \ si-ˈkwe-stər

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

Definition of sequester

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

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

noun

Definition of sequester (Entry 2 of 2)

1 obsolete : separation, isolation

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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about sequester

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Synonyms & Antonyms for sequester

Synonyms: Verb

cut off, insulate, isolate, seclude, segregate, separate

Antonyms: Verb

desegregate, integrate, reintegrate

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

Seaweed sequesters nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon, meaning seaweed farms are carbon negative. — Tamar Adler, Vogue, "Is Seaweed the Perfect Food?," 15 Feb. 2019 Every acre of restored temperate forest can sequester 3 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, explained," 24 Oct. 2018 Limited contact Untreated foragers ended up with much higher pathogen loads than the queen and the young nurses, sequestered away in their nest. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Sick ants stay away from the kids," 26 Nov. 2018 Eaton reviewed the video, then sequestered the jury Friday and began a hearing on the matter, which included testimony from Loring and Severin, as well as the county’s technology expert and Krebs. — Mike Carter, The Seattle Times, "Sheriff’s use of courtroom camera to view juror’s notebook, lawyer’s notes sparks dismissal of criminal case," 4 Feb. 2019 Milling surplus trees sequesters their carbon indefinitely and renews the forest’s ability to store still more. — Tom Mcclintock, WSJ, "Only Good Management Can Prevent Forest Fires," 17 Dec. 2018 And every year, one friend is picked to not come to this awesome party and instead be sequestered away just in case something happens at the party. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "Rick Perry Is the 2019 Designated Survivor. Here's What That Means.," 6 Feb. 2019 The shelves also made room for objects normally sequestered in the living room, offsetting a potentially clinical feel. — Eleanore Park, WSJ, "An Industrial Kitchen for People Who Love Nature," 19 Nov. 2018 Some part of that is travelers sequestering cash abroad to evade China’s strict controls on overseas investment—but anyone who has been in the world’s major cities in the past few years has witnessed the tidal wave of Chinese tourist spending. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, "The China Story That Is Far Bigger Than Apple," 4 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The list included bolstering annual defense spending to $700 billion by eliminating the defense sequester, exporting energy to Eastern Europe, and arming Ukraine with lethal weapons such as antitank missiles. — Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, "Trump’s claim that he’s been ‘much tougher on Russia than Obama’," 22 Feb. 2018 Congress passed two-year deals in 2013 and 2015 to prevent the sequester from taking effect, and is likely to reach an agreement again. — Kristina Peterson, WSJ, "New White House, Congressional Spending Fights on the Horizon," 16 Feb. 2019 The difference between what's being emitted due to federal land use and what federal lands sequester can help future federal government administrations make energy and leasing decisions. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Drilling on US public lands causes 24 percent of the nation’s CO2 emissions," 27 Nov. 2018 Three times between September and November, bursts of gunfire near MaKenzie’s public charter elementary school led DC Prep to seal off its Washington campus and sequester its students. — John Woodrow Cox, The Seattle Times, "Numerous school lockdowns are traumatizing the nation’s children," 26 Dec. 2018 Just last Friday, the president signed into law an authorization bill that blows up the sequester and increases spending by more than $500 billion. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump budget highlights disconnect between populist rhetoric and plutocrat reality," 13 Feb. 2018 The more crops you plant, burn, and sequester, the more carbon dioxide your remove from the air. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, explained," 24 Oct. 2018 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

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.

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Last Updated

2 May 2019

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Time Traveler for sequester

The first known use of sequester was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for sequester

sequester

verb

English Language Learners Definition of sequester

formal : 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

se·ques·ter | \ si-ˈkwes-tər

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

noun

Medical Definition of sequester (Entry 2 of 2)

: sequestrum

sequester

transitive verb

se·ques·ter | \ si-ˈkwes-tər

sequestered; sequestering

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

noun

Legal Definition of sequester (Entry 2 of 2)

: sequestration sense 3

History and Etymology for sequester

Transitive verb

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

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