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
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.
"In a nutshell, anything that's not in the Annex 1 directives, the court is basically saying we're not interested in hearing that," Prof Murray told the BBC.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
He said that because it deals with sex and gender, it sits firmly within the specific EU anti-discrimination laws protected by Annex 1.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management, said he had concerns that companies would face margin pressure before the war and that the Middle East conflict has only exacerbated those worries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
At Golden State Annex, medical providers documented inconsistent — and sometimes conflicting — psychiatric diagnoses.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025
There was no way to describe to his friends what he had experienced there in the Annex room.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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.
