secession

American  

[si-sesh-uhn] / sɪˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

1. an act or instance of seceding.

2. (often initial capital letter) the withdrawal from the Union of 11 Southern states in the period 1860–61, which brought on the Civil War.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a style of art in Germany and Austria concurrent with and related to Art Nouveau.

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secession British  

/ sɪˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of seceding

2. (often capital) the withdrawal in 1860–61 of 11 Southern states from the Union to form the Confederacy, precipitating the American Civil War

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secession Cultural  

1. The withdrawal from the United States of eleven southern states in 1860 and 1861. The seceding states formed a government, the Confederacy, in early 1861. Hostilities against the remaining United States, the Union, began in April 1861 (see Fort Sumter), and the Civil War followed.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsecession noun
• nonsecessional adjective
• secessional adjective
• secessionism noun
• secessionist noun

Etymology

Origin of secession

1525–35; < Latin sēcessiōn- (stem of sēcessiō ) withdrawal, equivalent to sēcess ( us ) (past participle of sēcēdere to secede; cession ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

The women, who are against secession and for abolition but are practiced in the art of deceiving their neighbors, are involved with the Underground Railroad in some way that’s not exactly clear.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Yet as commander in chief, wisely comprehending that no war to save the Union could be waged, much less won, exclusively by Republicans, Lincoln sought out Democrats to help battle secession.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

"To the uninformed American listener, the ongoing talks between Denmark and Greenland might have been construed as if Greenland's secession from Denmark was imminent," said Greenland specialist Mikaela Engell.

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

Thus, we know, and everyone at the time knew, that slavery was the cause of secession.

From Slate • Sep. 24, 2025

There were chinch bugs and grasshoppers, months of drought, elections, slavery, secession, talk of war—the adult world of trouble, though, was not real enough to dim the goodness of an April morning.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

Related Words

• breakaway
• breakup
• separation