secession
Americannoun
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an act or instance of seceding.
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(often initial capital letter) the withdrawal from the Union of 11 Southern states in the period 1860–61, which brought on the Civil War.
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(usually initial capital letter) a style of art in Germany and Austria concurrent with and related to Art Nouveau.
noun
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the act of seceding
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(often capital) the withdrawal in 1860–61 of 11 Southern states from the Union to form the Confederacy, precipitating the American Civil War
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of secession
1525–35; < Latin sēcessiōn- (stem of sēcessiō ) withdrawal, equivalent to sēcess ( us ) (past participle of sēcēdere to secede; see cession) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
The noun secession refers to a big break-up — a formal split, an official “Good-bye to you!” — among political entities. If France has really, truly had it with the European Union, then a French secession movement may be in order. You could think of secession as a kind of divorce for governments, an official and often lasting split between an alliance, federation, or other political group. Secession is the noun version of the verb secede (meaning to withdraw from an organization), and when a secession takes place the group doing the seceding makes a formal departure from the original group. A famous example of political secession happened right before the American Civil War, when eleven southern states withdrew from the U.S. government over the issue of slavery.
Vocabulary lists containing secession
American History I
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The American Civil War
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Human Geography - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ironically, Brooks was sometimes mocked as too moderate by his more bloodthirsty constituents because he opposed premature secession, although he foresaw and supported the eventual breakup of the Union.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
"Alberta's secession cannot happen without First Nation consent to change a party to Treaty No. 8," the lawsuit stated.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Downtown #Aden, where crowds have been calling for secession from #Yemen and solidarity with STC leader Aidarous Al Zubaidi.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026
"The public mobilization we see in Catalonia inspires us," she told AFP, referring to the northeastern region of Spain that mounted a secession bid in 2017.
From Barron's • Oct. 30, 2025
It was not only because secession was just, considering all that the Igbo had endured, but because of the possibility Biafra held for him.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
