annex

American  

[uh-neks, an-eks, an-eks, -iks] / əˈnɛks, ˈæn ɛks, ˈæn ɛks, -ɪks /

verb (used with object)

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

2. to incorporate (territory) into the domain of a city, country, or state.

   Germany annexed part of Czechoslovakia.

3. to take or appropriate, especially without permission.

4. to attach as an attribute, condition, or consequence.

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noun

1. something annexed.

2. a subsidiary building or an addition to a building.

   The emergency room is in the annex of the main building.

3. something added to a document; appendix; supplement.

   an annex to a treaty.

annex British  

verb

1. to join or add, esp to something larger; attach

2. to add (territory) by conquest or occupation

3. to add or append as a condition, warranty, etc

4. to appropriate without permission

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noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of annexe

Other Word Forms

• annexable adjective
• nonannexable adjective
• preannex verb (used with object)
• reannex verb (used with object)
• unannexable adjective

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 ( annectent ); (noun) from French annexe or noun use of verb

Example Sentences

He’s TACO’d on Greenland after his threats to annex the autonomously governed island caused markets to swoon, ultimately settling for what he described as the “concept of a deal” with Europe.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

The past few months of Danish politics have been dominated by US President Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland - a semi-autonomous Danish territory.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

They rehearsed in a small room in CTG’s annex building on Temple Street, which Desai said was shut down during last summer’s ICE protests.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

He insisted that the U.S. needed to annex Greenland for its own security and that of the wider Western Hemisphere and initially sought to pressure Denmark, the Arctic island’s sovereign authority, to sell it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

Like Anne, who spent her adolescence hiding in the secret annex, Gerda sat perched on a wooden box in a windowless cellar.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Related Words

• addendum
• appendix