annex
Americanverb (used with object)
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to attach, append, or add, especially to something larger or more important.
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to incorporate (territory) into the domain of a city, country, or state.
Germany annexed part of Czechoslovakia.
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to take or appropriate, especially without permission.
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to attach as an attribute, condition, or consequence.
noun
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something annexed.
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a subsidiary building or an addition to a building.
The emergency room is in the annex of the main building.
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something added to a document; appendix; supplement.
an annex to a treaty.
verb
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to join or add, esp to something larger; attach
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to add (territory) by conquest or occupation
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to add or append as a condition, warranty, etc
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to appropriate without permission
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preannexverb (used with object)
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reannexverb (used with object)
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annexableadjective
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nonannexableadjective
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unannexableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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annexsimple
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annexessimple
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have annexedperfect
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has annexedperfect
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am annexingprogressive
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are annexingprogressive
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is annexingprogressive
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have been annexingperfect progressive
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has been annexingperfect progressive
Past
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annexedsimple
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had annexedperfect
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was annexingprogressive
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were annexingprogressive
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had been annexingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of annex
First recorded in 1350–1400; (verb) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French annexer, from Medieval Latin annexāre, derivative of Latin annexus “tied to,” past participle of annectere ( see annectent); (noun) from French annexe or noun use of verb
Explanation
An annex is an extension of or an addition to a building. A small room off of a main room is an annex, and attics are another type of annex. As a noun, an annex is part of a building or an addition to a main structure, or it can be an attachment, as in "an annex to the current plans." When used as a verb, the word means something a little different. Sometimes annex is used as a nice word for "take" or "grab," as when Nazi Germany took the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in 1938 and added it to their own territory. In order to annex something to what is yours, you have to take it away from someone else.
Vocabulary lists containing annex
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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.
See Examples For:
The annex has a bed capacity of 750 and is holding more than 400 detainees, according to state officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Days later the Pentagon updated its press rules, saying it would move all credentialed journalists to a workspace in an annex facility outside the Pentagon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
As tensions mounted over President Trump's threats to annex Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, the European Parliament in January suspended the approval of the deal.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Her vision is precise: a south-facing garden to catch the evening light, and a self-contained annex where her father might stay comfortably when visiting, or even live in later years.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026
Howard Johnson’s, the Academy annex, served as the site of graduation.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
But Inara demands the whole agreement, including all annexes and associated materials, the secretary of state’s verification assessment and any certifications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Alongside the main declaration, the discussions also produced four annexes, reflecting the four core themes agreed by the member countries.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
The last Mexican governor of the state, he reckons with land-grabbers in the final era of Mexican governance before the United States annexes the territory.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
Now, though, Le Fisc says it’s ironed out these problems, and is looking to expand the use of its software spotting pools to identifying other undeclared and taxable housing improvements, like extensions and annexes.
From The Verge ● Aug. 30, 2022
These were less grand: storerooms, cupboards, annexes, cubbyholes.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
The eighth project was annexed into the City of Granbury, which had not received any development plans, according to a spokesperson.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
Once tied to the now-defunct city of Tropico, Adams Hill was annexed to Glendale in 1918.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
The US president and senior members of his administration have repeatedly raised the prospect of the semi-autonomous Danish territory becoming an annexed part of the United States.
From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026
When World War II ended, parts of eastern Poland were annexed by the Soviet Union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
He annexed neighboring Austria in 1938, then demanded a huge region of Czechoslovakia.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
He led major campaigns against the Parthians, Rome’s main rival to the east, sacking their capital city and annexing a huge swath of territory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Even the seemingly fanciful suggestion of annexing Greenland is back in the headlines.
From Barron's ● Jan. 5, 2026
A recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that only 19 percent of Americans support annexing Greenland; another European poll found that only 6 percent of Greenlanders would be interested in joining the U.S.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2025
Part of President William McKinley's legacy was his role in annexing Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines and Hawaii.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025
Like they’re annexing us or doing us some kind of favor.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
