verb

annex

/əˈnɛks/ · say it: uh·NEKS

a secondary building added to a main one

In Architecture & Design

In more detail

1. (verb) to take control of a country or area and add it to your own country

2. (noun) a building that is connected to or near a main building and is used as an extra part of it

Examples

1. The country annexed the neighboring territory after the war.
2. The hospital's new annex will contain additional patient rooms.

How to use annex

As a verb, annex means to take control of land or territory, typically by a stronger nation over a weaker one, often implying force or illegitimacy. As a noun, it refers to a supplementary building physically connected to or very near a principal structure. The verb is used in political and historical contexts; the noun is common in institutional and architectural contexts.

Common phrases

annex territory
annex a region
annex land
building annex
hospital annex
annex to the main building

Synonyms

incorporate · appropriate · seize · acquire · add

Opposites

cede · relinquish · surrender

Word family

annexation (noun) · annexed (adjective) · annexing (verb form)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse the pronunciation of the noun (ANN-eks) and verb (uh-NEKS), though both are acceptable with stress variation in contemporary usage.

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