annexation

noun

an·​nex·​a·​tion ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-shən 

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

annexational

ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

annexationist

ˌa-ˌnek-ˈsā-sh(ə-)nist 

noun

Examples of annexation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both live in West Bank settlements, promote the territory’s annexation, and, after October 7, have advocated resettling Gaza with Israeli Jews. —Mairav Zonszein, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2024

Sanctions should be extended to those in the Israeli government pursuing annexation. —Mary Robinson, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024

That sentiment could be applied to the global community as well, a point the journalist argues by noting that Putin’s annexation of Crimea didn’t prevent Russia from hosting the 2018 World Cup. —Lauren Wissot, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2024

Today, some settler leaders – including past and current Parliament members such as Michael Ben Ari and Zvi Sukkot – have also promoted support for extreme policies to secure Israel’s ongoing control and eventual annexation of the West Bank and Gaza. —Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1