annexation

American  

[an-ik-sey-shuhn, -ek-] / ˌæn ɪkˈseɪ ʃən, -ɛk- /

noun

• annexations
  plural

1. the act or an instance of annexing, or adding to something larger, especially the incorporation of new territory into the domain of a city, country, or state.

2. the fact of being annexed.

   Annexation of the two parts of the Bronx in 1874 and 1895 gave New York City the last of its five boroughs.

3. something annexed.

   Victory in battle resulted in territorial annexations that remained difficult to govern.

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annexation British  

/ -ɛk-, ˌænɪkˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of annexing, esp territory, or the condition of being annexed

2. something annexed

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• annexationism
  noun
• annexationist
  noun
• deannexation
  noun
• nonannexation
  noun
• reannexation
  noun
• annexational
  adjective
• antiannexation
  adjective
• proannexation
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• annexations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of annexation

First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin annexātiōn-, stem of annexātiō, equivalent to annexāt(us) “joined to” (past participle of annexāre “to join to”; see annex, -ate ¹) + -iō -ion

Explanation

If you're a big powerful country and you want to take over a smaller country, or a piece of it, you can simply occupy it with your army, a process known as annexation. One of history's most famous examples of annexation was the German occupation of parts of Czechoslovakia in 1938, which became one of the causes of World War II. Although the most common use of annexation is in the sense of a political or military takeover of territory, it can also refer to less major acts of acquisition. If you manage to steal your colleague's much-coveted corner office at work, that too is an annexation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

annexation annexations

While the film adaptation’s political themes are toned down, the original musical focused on the dark atmosphere of the Nazi annexation of Austria and the Von Trapp family’s struggle for freedom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

But even a hypothetical mass annexation has a way of setting off a frenzy.

From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2026

However, the US has only reiterated that it opposes West Bank annexation.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

The United Arab Emirates had warned annexation could risk upending the Abraham Accords, a key achievement of Trump’s first term that normalized relations between Israel and some Arab countries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

It is thought that the American annexation of the moon as the fifty-first state ...

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

"Ukraine is proposing a victory not just in this war but a victory over aggression, annexations, deportations over the catastrophe of genocide, anywhere throughout the world," he said.

From Reuters ● May 14, 2023

South Korea said it did not recognise the annexations, adding that Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial security and independence must be protected.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2022

Arab allies took a wait-and-see approach, but Jordan warned against hasty annexations and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan harshly criticized the plan and the lack of regional opposition to it.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 2, 2020

Henry Clay led most Whigs to decline all annexations.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018

The park became part of Chicago during the 1889 annexations, but otherwise, Olmsted saw, little had changed.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• incorporation