desegregate
verb
de·seg·re·gate
(ˌ)dē-ˈse-gri-ˌgāt 
desegregated; desegregating; desegregates
: to eliminate segregation in
specifically
: to free of any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units
: to become desegregated
Examples of desegregate in a Sentence
efforts to desegregate the town's buses
Eventually the city's schools desegregated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Abraham Lincoln used it during the Civil War, and in the 20th century, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy relied on the law to desegregate schools, deploying troops to the South after the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2024
All-Black fire crews operated out of the station — also known as the Pride of the Points — between 1931 and 1957, when the Denver Fire Department was desegregated.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
On this day in 1962: Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett physically blocked James Meredith from entering the University of Mississippi, defying a Supreme Court order to desegregate.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2024
Lewis helped organize sit-ins to desegregate the city’s lunch counters in 1960.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2024
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Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2024
All-Black fire crews operated out of the station — also known as the Pride of the Points — between 1931 and 1957, when the Denver Fire Department was desegregated.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
On this day in 1962: Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett physically blocked James Meredith from entering the University of Mississippi, defying a Supreme Court order to desegregate.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2024
Lewis helped organize sit-ins to desegregate the city’s lunch counters in 1960.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for desegregate
Dictionary Entries Near desegregate
Cite this Entry
“Desegregate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desegregate. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
desegregate
verb
de·seg·re·gate
(ˈ)dē-ˈseg-ri-ˌgāt
: to eliminate segregation in
especially
: to end by law the isolation of members of a particular race in separate units
desegregate city schools
desegregation
noun
(ˌ)dē-ˌseg-ri-ˈgā-shən
Legal Definition
desegregate
transitive verb
de·seg·re·gate
dē-ˈse-grə-ˌgāt
desegregated; desegregating
: to eliminate segregation in
specifically
: to free from any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units
: to become desegregated
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