verb / noun
sequester
sih-KWES-ter/sɪˈkwestər/
To remove something from ordinary access or use.
The person is sequestered behind the partly closed door to work alone.
Etymology
Placing something in safekeeping meant entrusting it to a third party while a dispute was settled. That idea extended to removing or setting something apart.
In context
they sequester them for self-defense in their bodies those chemicals are noxious they are unpalatable to predators
More examples
- The judge sequesters the jury during its deliberations.
- The court sequestered the disputed assets until the case was resolved.
- A federal budget sequester withholds funds to enforce spending limits.
Forms
sequester · sequesters · sequestered · sequestering
sequestration noun — The act of setting apart or withholding.
Similar words
- isolate
- Emphasizes separation from contact rather than restriction of use.
- impound
- Specifically means taking property into official custody.
- withhold
- Emphasizes not releasing or providing something, especially money.