sequestration

noun

se·​ques·​tra·​tion ˌsē-kwə-ˈstrā-shən  ˌse- 

(ˌ)sē-ˌkwe-

1

: the act of sequestering : the state of being sequestered

a jury in sequestration

2

a

: a legal writ authorizing a sheriff or commissioner to take into custody the property of a defendant who is in contempt until the orders of a court are complied with

b

: a deposit whereby a neutral depositary agrees to hold property in litigation and to restore it to the party to whom it is adjudged to belong

3

: the practice of imposing automatic government spending reductions by withholding appropriations by a fixed percentage that applies uniformly to all government programs except those exempted

4

: the process of sequestering something or the result of being sequestered

While the idea is a shift from traditional thinking on dealing with the greenhouse effect, carbon sequestration has been going on in nature for millennia in oceans and vegetation.

—Tom Rickey

Synonyms

• aloneness
• insulation
• isolation
• privacy
• secludedness
• seclusion
• segregation
• separateness
• solitariness
• solitude

Examples of sequestration in a Sentence

the sequestration of a jury

During their sequestration, jurors were not allowed to speak to reporters.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Trump administration has voiced its support for all manner of geologic sequestration. —Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

President Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia achieved new levels of strategic engagement with the region in general, and with Southeast Asia in particular, after years of neglect, but it was challenged by caps on military spending imposed under sequestration. —Michael J. Green, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2022

This round of shutdown negotiations carries a little more weight because across the board spending cuts known as sequestration may come into force under the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act if no budget deal is agreed by April 30. —Simon Moore, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Legislative gimmicks, such as budget sequestration, continuing resolutions, and overseas contingency operations, are all part of the problem, and Congress should abandon them. —Tim Kaine, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2017

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sequestration

• carbon sequestration

Rhymes for sequestration

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

sequestration

noun

se·​ques·​tra·​tion ˌsēk-wəs-ˈtrā-shən 

ˌsek-

: the act of sequestering : the state of being sequestered

Medical Definition

sequestration

noun

se·​ques·​tra·​tion ˌsēk-wəs-ˈtrā-shən  ˌsek- 

si-ˌkwes-

1

: the formation of a sequestrum

2

: the process of sequestering or result of being sequestered

Legal Definition

sequestration

noun

se·​ques·​tra·​tion ˌsē-kwəs-ˈtrā-shən, ˌse- 

1

: the act of sequestering : the state of being sequestered

2

a

: a writ authorizing an official (as a sheriff) to take into custody the property of a defendant usually to enforce a court order, to exercise quasi in rem jurisdiction, or to preserve the property until judgment is rendered

b

in the civil law of Louisiana : a deposit in which a neutral person agrees to hold property in dispute and to restore it to the party to whom it is determined to belong

3

: the cancellation of funds for expenditure or obligation in order to enforce federal budget limitations set by law