annex
Americanverb (used with object)
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annexes,
present (3rd person singular)
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annexed,
past participle, past
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annexing
present participle
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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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annexes
plural
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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:
If his boasts mean he will no longer threaten to annex Greenland, that’s good.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
On the far side of the base lies a Navy-leased annex operated by a Bahraini company called the Banz Group.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
"Every month this annex stays unfinished is a month the world is less ready than it could be, and people are less safe than they deserve to be," they said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Eva Huerta, whose husband was recently transferred from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center to the annex facility next door, described conditions at both facilities as terrible.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
The jail, in Hampden town, was in an annex of the courthouse.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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
Tibet, which Beijing annexed in the 1950s, had long resisted rule by the Chinese Communist Party.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
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
In March 1938, when Kurt was a 1-year-old, Nazi Germany annexed Austria.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Not the kind that requires parcels of land to be annexed, such as Guantanamo Bay, in exchange for freedom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
Other treaty violations followed as the Nazi government annexed Austria, then the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, where many ethnic Germans lived, and finally the rest of Czechoslovakia.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
In June, Hoekstra said the idea of the US annexing Canada would be "a great discussion" for Trump to have with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The U.S. can defend those lanes without annexing Greenland.
From Slate ● Jan. 8, 2026
The war, fought over several dramatic months in 1898, ended with the United States driving Spain from Cuba and annexing Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 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.
