accede

verb

ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd 

ik-

acceded; acceding

intransitive verb

1

formal

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

formal : to enter upon an office or position

—usually + to

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

3

archaic, formal : approach

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.

Synonyms

• acquiesce
• agree
• assent
• come round
• consent
• subscribe

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

Late Saturday, Netanyahu acceded to their demands and met a group of the families for two hours. —Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2023

The move paved the way for female descendants of King Albert II, Philippe’s father, to accede for the first time, based on birth order. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023

Roughly 20 Republican holdouts eager to leverage their power during the January speakership fight forced the California Republican to accede to ... —Audrey Fahlberg, National Review, 12 Oct. 2023

Hard-line House Republicans have used this leverage to force him to accede to various demands, including opening a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden. —Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023

Prince William would immediately accede as monarch, and Kate Middleton is expected to be known as Queen or Queen Consort. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 31 July 2023

Her eldest son and successor immediately acceded her as King Charles. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2023

Announcement of Biden’s decision not to accede to some of the conditions sought by defense lawyers comes after U.S. military officials formally notified a widened circle of family members of 9/11 victims of the terms of the plea negotiations that were underway. —Aamer Madhani, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023

Announcement of Biden’s decision not to accede to some of the conditions sought by defense lawyers comes after US military officials formally notified a widened circle of family members of 9/11 victims of the terms of the plea negotiations that were underway. —BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing accede

• accede to the throne

• accede to the throne

Kids Definition

accede

verb

ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd 

ik-

acceded; acceding

1

: to give consent : agree

accede to a proposed plan

2

: to enter upon an office or position

acceded to the throne in 1838

Legal Definition

accede

intransitive verb

ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd, ik- 

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)