What does "sequester" mean?
sequestration; separation
Sequester
/sɪˈkwɛs.tə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: sequestration; separation
- Grammar: sequester is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: confiscate, impound, isolate, seclude.
- Useful contrasts: emitting, combine, integrate.
- Usage evidence: Mangroves sequester more carbon than any other trees on Earth because they have quite a large underground root structure.
How to use "sequester"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sequester" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sequester" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sequester" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sequester" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sequester" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "confiscate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sequester", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 sequestration; separation
"A sequester from liberty , fasting , and prayer"
- 2 A person with whom two or more contending parties deposit the subject matter of the controversy; one who mediates between two parties; a referee
- 3 A sequestrum.
Verb
- 1 To separate from all external influence; to seclude; to withdraw.
"The jury was sequestered from the press by the judge's order."
- 2 set apart from others wordnet
- 3 To separate in order to store.
"The coal burning plant was ordered to sequester its CO₂ emissions."
- 4 keep away from others wordnet
- 5 To set apart; to put aside; to remove; to separate from other things.
"I had wholly sequestered my thoughts from civil affairs."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 undergo sequestration by forming a stable compound with an ion wordnet
- 7 To prevent an ion in solution from behaving normally by forming a coordination compound.
- 8 take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority wordnet
- 9 To temporarily remove (property) from the possession of its owner and hold it as security against legal claims.
- 10 requisition forcibly, as of enemy property wordnet
- 11 To cause (one) to submit to the process of sequestration; to deprive (one) of one's estate, property, etc.
"c. 1694, Robert South, sermon XXIV It was his tailor and his cook, his fine fashions and his French ragouts, which sequestered him."
- 12 To remove (certain funds) automatically from a budget. US, transitive
"The Budget Control Act of 2011 sequestered 1.2 trillion dollars over 10 years on January 2, 2013."
- 13 To seize and hold enemy property.
- 14 To withdraw; to retire. intransitive
"to sequester out of the world into Atlantic and Utopian politics"
- 15 To renounce (as a widow may) any concern with the estate of her husband.
Example
"Mangroves sequester more carbon than any other trees on Earth because they have quite a large underground root structure."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sequester"?
Common synonyms include: confiscate, impound, isolate, seclude, seize, abrupt.
How do you use "sequester" in a sentence?
Mangroves sequester more carbon than any other trees on Earth because they have quite a large underground root structure.
How do you pronounce "sequester"?
Pronounced /sɪˈkwɛs.tə/.
Etymology
From Middle English sequestren (verb) and sequestre (noun), from Old French sequestrer, from Late Latin sequestrō (“separate, give up for safekeeping”), from Latin sequester (“mediator, depositary”), probably originally meaning "follower", from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“follow”).