annexation

American  

[an-ik-sey-shuhn, -ek-] / ˌæn ɪkˈseɪ ʃən, -ɛk- /

noun

1. the act or an instance of annexing, or adding to something larger, especially the incorporation of new territory into the domain of a city, country, or state.

2. the fact of being annexed.

   Annexation of the two parts of the Bronx in 1874 and 1895 gave New York City the last of its five boroughs.

3. something annexed.

   Victory in battle resulted in territorial annexations that remained difficult to govern.

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annexation British  

/ -ɛk-, ˌænɪkˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of annexing, esp territory, or the condition of being annexed

2. something annexed

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Other Word Forms

• annexational
  adjective
• annexationism
  noun
• annexationist
  noun
• antiannexation
  adjective
• deannexation
  noun
• nonannexation
  noun
• proannexation
  adjective
• reannexation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of annexation

First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin annexātiōn-, stem of annexātiō, equivalent to annexāt(us) “joined to” (past participle of annexāre “to join to”; see annex, -ate ¹) + -iō -ion

Explanation

If you're a big powerful country and you want to take over a smaller country, or a piece of it, you can simply occupy it with your army, a process known as annexation. One of history's most famous examples of annexation was the German occupation of parts of Czechoslovakia in 1938, which became one of the causes of World War II. Although the most common use of annexation is in the sense of a political or military takeover of territory, it can also refer to less major acts of acquisition. If you manage to steal your colleague's much-coveted corner office at work, that too is an annexation.

Example Sentences

Fine introduced a bill called "Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act" in Congress last week.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Annexation meant that Meitner was suddenly stateless, her Austrian passport meaningless.

From Scientific American • Sep. 7, 2023

Annexation to the city was required, which meant the owner would have had to upgrade the park infrastructure to the tune of $4.2 million.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 17, 2019

In 1910, Korean Emperor Sunjong abdicated as the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty went into effect.

From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2018

Yoakum, H. K.: History of Texas, from its First Settlement in 1685, to its Annexation to the United States in 1846.

From The Middle Period 1817-1858 by Burgess, John William

Related Words

• incorporation