plural annexations
1
: the act of annexing something or the state of being annexed : the addition of an area or region to a country, state, etc.
The Senate rejected the Hawaiian reciprocity treaty, the purchase of the Virgin Islands from Denmark, the annexation of Santo Domingo and the annexation of Samoa. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
In the early part of the 20th century, Chinese writers generally dated the annexation of Tibet to the 18th century. Elliot Sperling
2
: something that is annexed
… defended their annexations with fire and sword. George Bernard Shaw

Examples of annexation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The big picture: The new policy marks yet another escalation in the friction between the U.S. and its northern neighbors, as President Trump pushes an on-again, off-again trade war with Canada and taunts the U.S. ally with annexation. Jessica Boehm, Axios, 14 Mar. 2025 Odd Andersen | Afp | Getty Images The outgoing prime minister of Greenland blasted talk Thursday by President Donald Trump that the potential annexation of the massive Arctic island by the United States would happen. Dan Mangan, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025 Greenland’s election this week followed a race dominated both by Trump’s annexation threat and growing calls from residents for independence from Denmark. Sophie Tanno, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025 Axios: Greenland’s center-right opposition party claimed victory in the territory’s election Tuesday, in what could be one of the most consequential in its history as Trump floats annexation. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for annexation

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of annexation was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Annexation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annexation. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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