1
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
she reluctantly ceded her position as leader
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to assign
to give over the legal possession or ownership of
Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States as part of the settlement of the Spanish-American War
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to abdicate
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the President officially cedes his position on the January 20th immediately following the presidential election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cede
Trump issued demands after threatening to withhold $400 million.
0:28
Columbia University appears to have ceded to the Trump administration's demands after a threat to withhold $400 million in federal funds.
—
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2025
Boeing has ceded ground to rival Airbus AIR.PA in the delivery race and entered the crosshairs of regulators and customers following missteps.
—Mike Stone, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The number willing to cede territory, albeit reluctantly, has also grown, to 39%, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology—although 50% still resist the idea.
—Tamar Jacoby, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and has previously pushed for Kyiv to cede control of the entirety of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cede
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2025
Boeing has ceded ground to rival Airbus AIR.PA in the delivery race and entered the crosshairs of regulators and customers following missteps.
—Mike Stone, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The number willing to cede territory, albeit reluctantly, has also grown, to 39%, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology—although 50% still resist the idea.
—Tamar Jacoby, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and has previously pushed for Kyiv to cede control of the entirety of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cede
Verb
-
Hamas does not tolerate dissent and will not relinquish power easily.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Israel says the war won’t end until Hamas relinquishes power and releases the remaining 59 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel from Gaza.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Three different judges assigned to each of the cases — appointed by two different presidents — have agreed to temporarily block portions of the orders while proceedings move forward.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Analyst Christopher Nardone is getting bullish on the fashion company, assigning it a buy rating and a $318 target, which would translate about 44% upside potential over the coming year.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
However, Congress has abdicated much of this responsibility over time, either through legislation or neglect; both parties and all branches are guilty.—
Andrew Tisch,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Rarely have politicians who call themselves leaders abdicated their responsibility more profoundly.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Read Next South Carolina Blind dog surrendered when owner couldn’t care for her.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
The score remained 4-2 until Yankees reliever Tim Hill surrendered an RBI single to Perdomo in the eighth inning before giving way to Leiter.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Officials eventually rescued all those who had been in the boat, detained them and transferred them to Border Patrol custody, the complaint said.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
-
On March 28, the agency notified its remaining employees that they would be terminated either on July 1, when all remaining USAID functions are set to be merged with State, or before Sept. 2, when the agency’s operations will have been substantially wound down or transferred to State.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is resigning over a new federal agreement that allows immigration enforcement access to taxpayer data, according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The Internal Revenue Service's acting commissioner — its third leader this year — is resigning after reaching a controversial agreement to release immigrants' tax data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), multiple outlets reported.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s team also provided information that could render these accusations null.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
If a child has an ITIN number, they're rendered ineligible for the Child Tax Credit.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Hess, in his earlier films, displayed a refined sense of comic timing, of scenes that hold long enough and are framed cannily enough to convey a sense of wondrous observation.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
-
What was important to you to convey about Saxon in that scene?—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cede. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share