accede

verb ac·cede \ ak-ˈsēd , ik- \

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of accede

acceded; acceding

intransitive verb

formal

1 a : to express approval or give consent : to agree to a request or demand —usually + to

The government acceded to their demands.

b : to become a party to something (such as an agreement) —usually + to

accede to the terms of a contract

2 : to enter upon an office or position —usually + to

He acceded to the throne [=became king] in 1838.

3 archaic : approach

See accede defined for English-language learners

See accede defined for kids

Examples of accede in a Sentence

His son acceded upon the king's death.
finally acceded to their pleas for more time to complete the project

Recent Examples of accede from the Web

Trump has frequently threatened to withdraw from NAFTA if its two pact partners don't accede to U.S. demands for a more favorable deal.

— don lee and patrick j. mcdonnell, latimes.com, "Trump's new threat to NAFTA partners: Give better deal or face steel tariffs," 6 Mar. 2018
Trump’s trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who shares the president’s views, compounded that impression throughout much of 2017 by issuing unrealistic renegotiation demands that Mexico and Canada were in no mood to accede to.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump: I’ll Lift Tariffs If NAFTA Is Renegotiated," 5 Mar. 2018
Of course Elaine barely stood up for herself on her first date with Ben, quickly forgave him, and acceded when her parents pressured her to marry Carl.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "The Graduate 50 Years After Its Oscar Win," 3 Mar. 2018
But Harrisonville officials have refused to accede.

— max londberg, kansascity, "20,000 people want suicide victim's name read at graduation. School officials refuse | The Kansas City Star," 28 Feb. 2018
The company has long defended its practices as humane but eventually acceded to critics who said killer whales should not be held in captivity.

— nathan bomey, USA TODAY, "SeaWorld CEO suddenly out as theme park attendance wanes," 27 Feb. 2018
After ignoring invitations to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic for years because of its deep involvement with the Nazi regime during World War II, Bernstein finally acceded in 1966 and became a favorite of the ensemble in later decades.

— james r. oestreich, New York Times, "Review: A Brash Wunderkind, Now 37, Meets an August Ensemble," 26 Feb. 2018
Particularly in the Senate, Democrats have, bit by bit, begun acceding to Trumpian demands.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Is Democratic Cooperation With Trump Depressing Supporters?," 11 Feb. 2018
Democrats, many of whom have acceded to the president’s demand for $25 billion over time for a border wall, balk at limiting legal immigration to the extent Trump wants.

— bill lambrecht, San Antonio Express-News, "Catholic leaders to press Congress for a DACA bill," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accede.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

To accede usually means to yield, often under pressure and with some reluctance, to the needs or requests of others. Voters usually accede to a tax increase only when they're convinced it's the only real solution to a shortfall in government funding. A patient may accede to surgery only after the doctor assures him it's better than the alternatives. If you accede to your spouse's plea to watch the new reality show at 9:00, you may get to choose something better at 10:00.

Origin and Etymology of accede

Middle English acceden "to come near, become adapted to," borrowed from Latin accēdere "to draw near, approach, side (with), be added (to)," from ad- ad- + cēdere "to go away, yield" — more at cede

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First Known Use: 15th century

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accede Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of accede

assent, consent, accede, acquiesce, agree, subscribe mean to concur with what has been proposed. assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

- voters assented to the proposal

consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

- consented to their daughter's going

accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

- officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

- acquiesced to his boss's wishes

agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

- finally agreed to come along

subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

- subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

ACCEDE Defined for Kids

accede

verb ac·cede \ ak-ˈsēd \

Definition of accede for Students

acceded; acceding

: to agree to

They acceded to our demands.

Law Dictionary

accede

intransitive verb ac·cede \ ak-ˈsēd, ik- \

legal Definition of accede

acceded; acceding

1 a : to become a party (as to an agreement) by associating oneself with others

they were invited to accede to the covenant

b : to express approval or give consent

the banker asks for collateral. The debtor…accedes, and transfers some of his property
—In re Patterson, 139 F. Supp. 830 (1956)

2 : to assume an office or position

acceded to the governorship

3 a : to become added by way of growth, increase, improvement, or labor

the various improvements…had acceded to the realty and had become “fixtures”
—Graham v. Henderson, 608 S.W.2d 150 (1980)

b : to come into control or ownership of something

a trustee in bankruptcy specifically accedes to all property of the debtor
—Directory Int'l, Inc. v. Bates Mfg. Co., 91 B.R. 738 (1988)

Learn More about accede

See words that rhyme with accede Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for accede Spanish Central: Translation of accede Nglish: Translation of accede for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of accede for Arabic speakers

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accede

Definition of accede

Examples of accede in a Sentence

Recent Examples of accede from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of accede

accede Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of accede

Phrases Related to ACCEDE

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ACCEDE Defined for Kids

accede

Definition of accede for Students

Law Dictionary

accede

legal Definition of accede

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