secede

American  

[si-seed] / sɪˈsid /

verb (used without object)

seceded, seceding

1. to withdraw formally from an alliance, federation, or association, as from a political union, a religious organization, etc.

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secede British  

/ sɪˈsiːd /

verb

1. (of a person, section, etc) to make a formal withdrawal of membership, as from a political alliance, church, organization, etc

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Other Word Forms

• seceder noun
• unseceded adjective
• unseceding adjective

Etymology

Origin of secede

First recorded in 1695–1705, secede is from the Latin word sēcēdere to withdraw. See se-, cede

Example Sentences

The address issue has long been contentious in artsy Carmel-by-the-Sea, where residents once threatened to secede from California if they were forced to number their homes.

From Los Angeles Times

“Secession means the Southerners are breaking away, or seceding, from our present Union of thirty-three states to form their own confederacy of sorts.”

From Literature

To pay the soldiers, the seceding government and its president, Jefferson Davis, printed reams of Confederate dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal

In early 1861, Clay was in Washington, D.C., where he organized a volunteer company to help defend the city against attack from seceding states.

From The Wall Street Journal

South Sudan, the world's newest nation, gained independence in 2011 after seceding from Sudan.

From BBC

Related Words

• break with