secession
n. C / Un. the act of a group or region officially leaving a larger country or organization to become independent.
n. the formal withdrawal of a constituent member from a federation, union, or political entity. Often carries legal or constitutional implications regarding sovereignty.
The region's leaders are debating secession from the union.
The southern provinces threatened secession if the central government refused to grant them greater control over local resources.
Historians often analyze the economic disparities and cultural tensions that eventually culminated in the state's formal act of secession and the subsequent outbreak of civil war.
Uncountable when referring to the general concept; countable when referring to a specific historical instance.