desegregate

[ dee-seg-ri-geyt ]

verb (used with object)

, de·seg·re·gat·ed, de·seg·re·gat·ing.

1. to eliminate racial segregation in:

   to desegregate all schools.

verb (used without object)

, de·seg·re·gat·ed, de·seg·re·gat·ing.

1. to eliminate racial segregation; to integrate at an institutional level members of different communities without regard to skin color.

desegregate

/ diːˈsɛɡrɪˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. to end racial segregation in (a school or other public institution)

Derived Forms

• ˌdesegreˈgationist, nounadjective
• ˌdesegreˈgation, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of desegregate¹

First recorded in 1950–55; de- + segregate

Example Sentences

For guidance, the justices can look to the very beginning of Medicare in the 1960s, when the promise of federal funding finally persuaded hospitals in the Jim Crow South to desegregate.

From Seattle Times

Board of Education decision that desegregated public schools in law if not in life, he realized, he says, that “there was a whole cultural and social order based upon differences between white and Black people.”

From New York Times

And a recording from his son, describing how his father, in the face of competing protests from Black customers fighting for equality and white patrons opposing it, had moved to desegregate the store.

From New York Times

The original song, written by Paul McCartney, is reportedly an ode to Little Rock Nine's bravery in desegregating schools in Arkansas during the late '60s.

From Salon

President Harry Truman didn’t desegregate the Armed Services until 1948, but the Airmen earned high marks for their combat duty in World War II.

From New York Times

Related Words

• integrate