desegregate

verb

de·​seg·​re·​gate (ˌ)dē-ˈse-gri-ˌgāt How to pronounce desegregate (audio)
desegregated; desegregating; desegregates

transitive verb

: to eliminate segregation in
specifically : to free of any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units

Examples of desegregate in a Sentence

efforts to desegregate the town's buses Eventually the city's schools desegregated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1975, Jefferson County Public Schools first implemented forced busing under a court order to desegregate schools, which also required the previously separate Louisville and Jefferson County systems to merge. Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025 Escambia High School opened in the 1950s and was forcibly desegregated in the late 1960s. Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025 During the Civil Rights movement, the public sector was quicker to desegregate its workforce and offer equal employment opportunities than the private sector. Daryl Fairweather, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 Then, in 1945, the National Park Service desegregated its parks. Essence, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for desegregate

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of desegregate was in 1949

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desegregate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desegregate. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

desegregate

verb
de·​seg·​re·​gate (ˈ)dē-ˈseg-ri-ˌgāt How to pronounce desegregate (audio)
: to eliminate segregation in
especially : to end by law the isolation of members of a particular race in separate units
desegregate city schools
desegregation
(ˌ)dē-ˌseg-ri-ˈgā-shən
noun

Legal Definition

desegregate

transitive verb
de·​seg·​re·​gate dē-ˈse-grə-ˌgāt How to pronounce desegregate (audio)
desegregated; desegregating
: to eliminate segregation in
specifically : to free from any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units

intransitive verb

: to become desegregated

More from Merriam-Webster on desegregate

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