annex

1 of 2

verb

annexed; annexing; annexes

transitive verb

1
: to incorporate (an additional geographic area) within the domain of a country, state, etc.
The U.S. annexed Texas in 1845.
… the Dutch colony was annexed by Indonesia.Julian Evans
Danville [Illinois] has continued to expand its geographic footprint despite population decline by annexing adjacent communities.Sara S. Metcalf
2
: to add (something) to something earlier, larger, or more important
often used with to
They annexed a copy of the letter to the affidavit.
… a … bathroom annexed to a wide variety of household spaces.Duo Dickinson
3
: to obtain or take (something) for oneself
After a time Heyst perceived that Wang had annexed all the keys. Any keys left lying about vanished after Wang had passed that way.Joseph Conrad
Winning a blue at every show this season, DEAL ME ACES has annexed an enviable eight blues … out of ten performances.advertisement in Saddle Horse Report
4
: to attach (something) as a quality, consequence, or condition
often used with to
Many privileges were annexed exclusively to royalty.
5
archaic : to join (things or people) together : unite
… the deponent … asked Mrs. Tuck for the testator's will and codicil; and he annexed them together and sealed them up …The Revised Reports: Being a Republication of Such Cases in the English Courts of Common Law and Equity, from the Year 1785 …

annex

2 of 2

noun

an·​nex ˈa-ˌneks How to pronounce annex (audio)
-niks
: something annexed as an expansion or supplement: such as
a
: an added stipulation or statement : appendix
approved the annex in the treaty
b
: a building that is attached to or near a larger building and usually used as part of it : wing
Historical photographs were on view in the library's annex.

Examples of annex in a Sentence

Verb The United States annexed Texas in 1845. The government planned to annex the islands. Noun The addition will be used as an annex to the library. We store our old files in the annex. an annex to the document
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Navalny, who spent summers with his Ukrainian grandparents, had historically espoused the idea that Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are one people, and that Crimea, illegally annexed by Putin in 2014, was historically a part of Russia. Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The German officers were reportedly talking about sending weapons to Ukraine and a potential strike by Ukrainian military forces against a bridge in Crimea, the peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Joe Hernandez, NPR, 3 Mar. 2024 At its last session, in 2006, the assembly asked to be annexed by Russia, though Moscow did not act on that request. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Allon proposed a compromise: annex the least populated regions—a third of the territory—and give the rest back to Jordan. Shane Bauer, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 The military alliance expects a record 18 of its 31 member states to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense this year, a funding target set back in 2014, when Russia annexed a part of Ukraine. Anna Cooban, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 Palestinian representatives, will argue that Israel has violated the prohibition on territorial conquest by annexing large swaths of occupied land, has violated the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, and has imposed a system of racial discrimination and apartheid. NBC News, 19 Feb. 2024 But some municipalities have territory that isn't connected, especially if the municipality has expanded and annexed pieces of land. Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2024 Under an unrealized Trump peace plan, Israel would have been allowed sovereignty over all existing settlements and permitted to annex up to 30 percent of the West Bank. Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
The downtown food hall and event venue — 3rd Street Market Hall — will open an annex in the right field loge level. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024 Inside, apartments in the annex are nearing completion with vinyl tile flooring that looks like slate and quartz kitchen countertops. Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2024 The latter group proposed its own reforms in an annex to the report. Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2023 In late 2014, the Egyptian Defense Ministry hired Aslanian to handle a real estate transaction in New Jersey — the purchase of a residential annex for Egyptian diplomats — based solely on Hana’s recommendation, Aslanian said. Marina Dias, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023 Temporary committee rooms were set up in an underground annex to the Capitol; subcommittees met in windowless conference rooms in the Pocahontas Building. Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023 Anne Frank was a Jewish teenager murdered at age 16 in the Holocaust after her family hid for two years inside the secret annex of an Amsterdam house. Alexis Jones, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2023 Under former President Donald Trump, the U.S. sought a similar short-term extension to renegotiate the terms of an annex of the agreement to strengthen intellectual property protections. Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 23 Aug. 2023 But even releasing a classified annex goes against what the law says. CBS News, 25 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'annex.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French annexer, from annexe attached, from Latin annexus, past participle of annectere to bind to, from ad- + nectere to bind

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of annex was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near annex

Cite this Entry

“Annex.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annex. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

annex

1 of 2 verb
1
: to attach as an addition : append
2
: to add (a territory) to one's own territory to form a larger country
the United States annexed Texas in 1845
annexation noun

annex

2 of 2 noun
an·​nex ˈan-ˌeks How to pronounce annex (audio)
ˈan-iks
: something annexed
especially : an added part of a building

Legal Definition

annex

transitive verb
1
: attach sense 2
correspondence annexed to the petition
a greenhouse annexed to the building
2
: to incorporate (as a territory) within a political domain
the district annexes only shards of 24 additional parishesHays v. Louisiana, 839 F. Supp. 1188 (1993)
annexation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on annex

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