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

One of the jurors (a Joe Pesci imitator) evidently broke the rules of sequestration. —David Remnick, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

If no crime has been committed, there can be no reason for demanding redress for what these children undergo in their schools of sequestration. —Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024

Bioenergy carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) is one of the few technologies that can provide net negative emissions at scale. —Wood MacKenzie, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Occidental is pursuing its own sequestration track in the Permian basin of Texas. —Christopher Helman, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024

The complicated system, known as sequestration, would slash all federal spending unless Congress adopts longer-term legislation before May 1. —Tony Romm, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2024

Introducing the acid into the untreated seawater stream triggers a chemical reaction that releases the dissolved CO2, which is then captured using a proprietary stripper; after the CO2 is stripped out of the water, it can be compressed and transported for sequestration or utilization. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024

To that end, Saudi Arabia and Saudi oil giant Aramco announced late last year a carbon capture sequestration hub in Jubail, in eastern Saudi Arabia. —Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2023

Return to menu Facing impending sequestration cuts, President George H.W. Bush summoned congressional leaders in September to Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland to hash out a budget deal. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 9 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sequestration

• carbon sequestration

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