secede

verb

se·​cede si-ˈsēd 

seceded; seceding

intransitive verb

: to withdraw from an organization (such as a religious communion or political party or federation)

seceder noun

Examples of secede in a Sentence

South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Valley, as it’s known, is to South L.A. what Staten Island is to Manhattan: a cheek-by-jowl enclave of white-flight grievance that tried to secede from L.A. in the early aughts. —Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2025

Under the Fourteenth Amendment citizenship clause, states are determined to have no legal right to secede from the union, and one's U.S. citizenship would not terminate even if living in a country that seceded from the union. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025

Fighters have attacked the Cameroonian military and civilians to coerce and intimidate the Cameroonian government into allowing the regions to secede. —Krystal Nurse, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025

The short answer is no – there's no legal way for California to secede from the United States. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin secedere, from sed-, se- apart (from sed, se without) + cedere to go — more at suicide

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for secede

• accede
• agreed
• airspeed
• alkyd
• bindweed
• chickweed
• concede
• decreed
• duckweed
• exceed
• flaxseed
• impede

Kids Definition

secede

verb

se·​cede si-ˈsēd 

seceded; seceding

: to withdraw from an organization (as a nation, church, or political party)