annexation
noun
an·nex·a·tion
ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-shən 
plural annexations
1
: the act of annexing something or the state of being annexed : the addition of an area or region to a country, state, etc.
The Senate rejected the Hawaiian reciprocity treaty, the purchase of the Virgin Islands from Denmark, the annexation of Santo Domingo and the annexation of Samoa.—
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.In the early part of the 20th century, Chinese writers generally dated the annexation of Tibet to the 18th century.—Elliot Sperling
Elliot Sperling2
: something that is annexed
… defended their annexations with fire and sword.—George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard ShawExamples of annexation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tkachev, sanctioned by the European Union in 2014 for his support of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, was appointed Russia’s agriculture minister the following year, and is the holding company’s board chairman, the filings show.
—Anna Hirtenstein and Alexander Marrow, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
Several authors did so in the wake of the Crimean annexation in 2014.
—Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2025
Still, the annexation ambitions of the 1890s might serve as a cautionary tale, at least for anyone entertaining dreams of Canadian annexation.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Florida attracts the most Canadian buyers, followed by Arizona and California.
Between the lines: The recent friction with Canada, including Trump's trade drama and talk of annexation, comes as the Canadian dollar weakens against the U.S. dollar.
—Sami Sparber, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annexation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Anna Hirtenstein and Alexander Marrow, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
Several authors did so in the wake of the Crimean annexation in 2014.
—Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2025
Still, the annexation ambitions of the 1890s might serve as a cautionary tale, at least for anyone entertaining dreams of Canadian annexation.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Florida attracts the most Canadian buyers, followed by Arizona and California.
Between the lines: The recent friction with Canada, including Trump's trade drama and talk of annexation, comes as the Canadian dollar weakens against the U.S. dollar.
—Sami Sparber, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annexation
Cite this Entry
“Annexation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annexation. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share