annexation

American  

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

noun

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

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

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

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

What’s Next: Strategists aren’t willing to rule it out entirely, but they see a military annexation of Greenland as highly improbable.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

The U.S. has many ways to secure essential interests without annexation or coercion: expanded bases, long-term defense agreements, and a stronger allied presence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

Hence when Japan sent troops to Korea and annexed it in 1910, Japanese military leaders celebrated the annexation as “the restoration of the legitimate arrangement of antiquity.”

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• incorporation