Secede Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms secede American [si-seed] / sɪˈsid /

verb (used without object)

seceded, seceding

1. to withdraw formally from an alliance, federation, or association, as from a political union, a religious organization, etc.

secede British / sɪˈsiːd /

verb

1. (of a person, section, etc) to make a formal withdrawal of membership, as from a political alliance, church, organization, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• seceder noun
• unseceded adjective
• unseceding adjective

Etymology

Origin of secede

First recorded in 1695–1705, secede is from the Latin word sēcēdere to withdraw. See se-, cede

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Threatened by Lincoln’s stance against expanding slavery, South Carolina seceded in December.

From Literature

Eritrea officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993 - but later fought a deadly border war.

From BBC

In December, Israel became the first to recognise Somaliland's independence since it seceded from Somalia in 1991, drawing angry condemnation from the federal government in Mogadishu, even though it has been self-governing for 35 years.

From Barron's

The address issue has long been contentious in artsy Carmel-by-the-Sea, where residents once threatened to secede from California if they were forced to number their homes.

From Los Angeles Times

“Secession means the Southerners are breaking away, or seceding, from our present Union of thirty-three states to form their own confederacy of sorts.”

From Literature

Related Words

• break with

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.