To desegregate something such as a place, institution, or service means to officially stop keeping the people who use it in separate groups, especially groups that are defined by race. efforts to desegregate sport The school system itself is not totally desegregated. = integrate segregate + desegregation de·seg·re·ga·tion Desegregation may be harder to enforce in rural areas. to end a system in which people of different races are kept separate integrate segregate