sequester

American  

[si-kwes-ter] / sɪˈkwɛs tər /

verb (used with object)

1. to remove or withdraw into solitude or retirement; seclude.

2. to remove or separate; banish; exile.

3. to keep apart from others; segregate or isolate.

   The jury was sequestered until a verdict was reached.

4. Law. to remove (property) temporarily from the possession of the owner; seize and hold, as the property and income of a debtor, until legal claims are satisfied.

5. International Law. to requisition, hold, and control (enemy property).

6. to trap (a chemical in the atmosphere or environment) and isolate it in a natural or artificial storage area.

   There are processes to sequester carbon from a power plant's exhaust gases.

   Plants can sequester toxins and store them in their tissues.

---

noun

1. an act or instance of sequestering; separation; isolation.

2. sequestration.

   domestic programs starved for cash by the federal sequester.

sequester British  

/ sɪˈkwɛstə /

verb

1. to remove or separate

2. (usually passive) to retire into seclusion

3. law to take (property) temporarily out of the possession of its owner, esp until the claims of creditors are satisfied or a court order is complied with

4. international law to requisition or appropriate (enemy property)

---

Other Word Forms

• nonsequestered adjective
• self-sequestered adjective
• sequestrable adjective
• unsequestered adjective

Etymology

Origin of sequester

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sequestren, from Latin sequestrāre “to put in hands of a trustee,” derivative of sequester “trustee, depositary”

Explanation

The word sequester describes being kept away from others. If your sister tells you to stay out of the way so she can cook dinner for her new boyfriend, you might sequester yourself in your room. Legal types may be familiar with the word sequester since it’s often used in relation to a jury for an important trial. In that case, members of the jury are sequestered, meaning they aren't allowed to watch the news or read articles that could influence their judgment. However, sequester can describe anyone who is isolated or hidden away from others, like a pop star sequestered in a hotel room, protected from fans' mania below.

Example Sentences

"Forests globally currently sequester about one-third of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions," said Medlyn.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

Watchdogs also caution that the math to determine whether bioenergy projects sequester or release carbon is complicated and finicky.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025

As biomass like trees and crops grow, they sequester carbon in their leaves and branches.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2025

"Because these treatments would target receptors at the surface of pain-sensing neurons, this specificity might avoid the side effects seen with other monoclonal antibodies that sequester all nerve growth factor in the body."

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2024

Whenever he returned to Brooklyn to prepare for the next tournament or match, he tended to sequester himself in his apartment.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• cloister
• close off
• insulate
• segregate