annex

[verb uh-neks, an-eks; noun an-eks, -iks]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR annex ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to attach, append, or add, especially to something larger or more important.

to incorporate (territory) into the domain of a city, country, or state: Germany annexed part of Czechoslovakia.

to take or appropriate, especially without permission.

to attach as an attribute, condition, or consequence.

noun Also especially British, an·nexe.

something annexed.

a subsidiary building or an addition to a building: The emergency room is in the annex of the main building.

something added to a document; appendix; supplement: an annex to a treaty.

Origin of annex

1350–1400; (v.) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French annexer < Medieval Latin annexāre, derivative of Latin annexus tied to, past participle of annectere (see annectent); (noun) < French annexe or noun use of v.

Related formsan·nex·a·ble, adjectivenon·an·nex·a·ble, adjectivepre·an·nex, verb (used with object)re·an·nex, verb (used with object)un·an·nex·a·ble, adjectiveun·an·nexed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for annex

addendum, appendix, adjoin, addition, affix, arm, adjunct, supplement, attachment, subsidiary, wing, ell, associate, unite, attach, appropriate, tag, link, connect, fasten

Examples from the Web for annex

Contemporary Examples of annex

A few hours later the Annex itself came under attack and two of the same brave GRS operatives were killed.
This Sexy Thriller Is Just the Document the Benghazi Commission Needs
Christopher Dickey
September 15, 2014
Annex Medical Inc Annex Medical and Sacred Heart Medical are companies that design, manufacture, and sell medical devices.
After Hobby Lobby, These 82 Corporations Could Drop Birth Control Coverage
Abby Haglage
June 30, 2014
She was the first but not last leader of Russia to annex Crimea.
Russian History Is on Our Side: Putin Will Surely Screw Himself
P. J. O’Rourke
May 11, 2014
“We are too small to be independent for long and would have to ask Russia to annex us,” says translator Alec.
Putin’s People Stage Their Bogus Vote
Jamie Dettmer
May 11, 2014
That team fought their way back to the CIA annex with other Americans and sustained a low-level firefight throughout the evening.
General: We Didn't Even Try To Save American Lives In Benghazi
Eli Lake
May 1, 2014

Historical Examples of annex

It worked so well that by the second week in September we had to open t'other Annex.
The Depot Master
Joseph C. Lincoln
But you aren't going to annex that oil until you hear from the owners?
The Forbidden Trail
Honor Willsie
Adasaolan, however, did not annex the territory of his defeated cousin.
The Philippine Islands
John Foreman
I wish we could annex this place and add it on to the Villa Camellia.
The Jolliest School of All
Angela Brazil
Annex Texas, and a great field of expansion for slavery was open.
The Negro and the Nation
George S. Merriam

British Dictionary definitions for annex

annex

verb (æˈnɛks) (tr)

to join or add, esp to something larger; attach

to add (territory) by conquest or occupation

to add or append as a condition, warranty, etc

to appropriate without permission

noun (ˈænɛks)

a variant spelling (esp US) of annexe

Derived Formsannexable, adjective

Word Origin for annex

C14: from Medieval Latin annexāre, from Latin annectere to attach to, from nectere to join

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for annex

late 14c., "to connect with," from Old French annexer "to join" (13c.), from Medieval Latin annexare, frequentative of Latin annecetere "to bind to," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + nectere "to tie, bind" (see nexus). Almost always meaning "to join in a subordinate capacity." Of nations or territories, c.1400. Related: Annexed; annexing.

1540s, "an adjunct, accessory," from French annexe, from annexer (see annex (v.)). Meaning "supplementary building" is from 1861.