Definition of CEDE

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

Get our daily newsletter March 30th marked two years since the army ceded power to the NLD. — The Economist, "After two years of civilian rule, Myanmar’s politicians are gloomy," 5 Apr. 2018 In dealing with the challenge, Mr. Xi has tried to appear conciliatory, without ceding authority. — Chun Han Wong, WSJ, "Xi Jinping’s Strongman Rule Comes Under Fire as China Celebrates Deng’s Reforms," 18 Dec. 2018 By the 1990s, the situation had stabilized, with the government ceding economic control. — Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Luang Prabang Is the Ideal Southeast Asian City," 20 Nov. 2018 Players with some leverage may wrangle two years of security before ceding control to the team. — Andrew Brandt, SI.com, "How NFL and NBA Contracts Differ, and What NFL Players Can Do to Change It," 10 July 2018 The Capitals, who have played four more games than Vegas, finished the conference finals with two shutouts, heavy checking and nearly eight periods without ceding a goal. — Andrew Knoll, New York Times, "Stanley Cup Finals Preview: Surprising Teams With the Same Architect," 27 May 2018 Silva e Luna's previous comments to Bloomberg in April about the deal marked a change of tone at the defense ministry, which had been cautious about ceding control of Embraer, an industrial champion and crucial supplier of military hardware. — chicagotribune.com, "Boeing-Embraer deal likely as defense fears soothed, Brazil says," 23 May 2018 Silva e Luna’s previous comments to Bloomberg in April about the deal marked a change of tone at the defense ministry, which had been cautious about ceding control of Embraer, an industrial champion and crucial supplier of military hardware. — Samy Adghirni, Bloomberg.com, "Brazil Optimistic on Boeing-Embraer Deal," 23 May 2018 McEntire hosted the show 14 times before ceding to Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan in 2012. — Cindy Watts, USA TODAY, "Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert score big at ACM Awards, Carrie Underwood steals show," 16 Apr. 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.