cede

verb

\ ˈsēd

ceded; ceding

Definition of cede

1 : to yield or grant typically by treaty Russia ceded Alaska to the U.S. in 1867.

2 : assign, transfer ceded his stock holdings to his children

Other Words from cede Synonyms Do you cede or seed control? Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about cede

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Do you cede or seed control?

Cede means "to yield or grant typically by treaty." Most of the verb senses of seed are concerned with planting seeds (either literal, as of plants, or figuratively, as of ideas). However, the word may also be used to mean "to schedule (tournament players or teams) so that superior ones will not meet in early rounds." If you relinquish or yield something you are ceding it, and if you are organizing the participants in a tournament you are seeding them.

Did You Know?

Cede is often a formal term used in discussing territory and rights, but is also used less formally. So, for example, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the U.S. in 1898, following the Spanish-American War, and the U.S. ceded control of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999. Critics warn that we are ceding leadership in alternative-energy technology to China. Citizens of one European country or another are always worrying that their own country is ceding too much power to the European Union. A tennis player doesn't have any choice when she cedes her no. 1 ranking to a rival.

Examples of cede in a Sentence

Russia ceded Alaska to the U.S. in 1867. she reluctantly ceded her position as leader

Recent Examples on the Web

By going public first, Lyft is defining its own category on the stock market rather than ceding that turf to Uber, which would otherwise do so given its brand awareness and size. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "Why Lyft had to beat Uber to an IPO filing," 6 Dec. 2018 So many amyloid-beta drugs failed, in fact, that most of Big Pharma has quit developing drugs for Alzheimer’s disease altogether, ceding the market to smaller, nimbler startups, such as Denali and Aquinnah, with newer ideas. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "The Heroes of Science Who Are Unlocking the Brain," 3 Oct. 2018 For months, the 47-year-old guerrilla fighter turned president has pledged to cede control of Congo and its vast mineral wealth in elections scheduled for Dec. 23 and become the country’s first postindependence leader to leave office voluntarily. — Alexandra Wexler, WSJ, "Congo’s President Plans to Leave Office, but Not Politics," 10 Dec. 2018 Balderson's slim victory allows Republicans to maintain control of a seat that hasn't been ceded to Democrats in decades. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Fox News Power Rankings: Candidates still count," 24 Aug. 2018 The brilliant N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba put the vital parts of midfield on lockdown, while the flanks were ceded to Belgian players who wouldn’t or couldn’t provide the required service to striker Romelu Lukaku. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Le Bleuprint: France Follows Familiar World Cup Path in Reaching Final," 10 July 2018 In nine May innings, Peacock ceded nine hits in 36 at-bats, striking out just 12. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' Brad Peacock rebounds in June after a rough May," 30 June 2018 The Trump administration said it was concerned the deal would result in the U.S. ceding ground to China in semiconductors and mobile technology. — Jim Puzzanghera, latimes.com, "Trump takes softer approach to restricting Chinese investment, backs bipartisan legislation expanding reviews," 27 June 2018 Or Hulu could be ceded to Comcast and NBCUniversal should the media giants divvy up the Fox assets. — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, "AT&T payment to Trump lawyer new twist in Time Warner fight that will change cord cutter choices," 10 May 2018

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