recede

verb re·cede \ ri-ˈsēd \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of recede

receded; receding

intransitive verb

1 a : to move back or away : withdraw

a receding hairline

b : to slant backward

2 : to grow less or smaller : diminish, decrease

a receding deficit

Recent Examples of recede from the Web

Make America great again,’ the audience is hearing a certain view of America, and all of those negative things about America will just recede further and further into their consciousness.

— cindy dampier, chicagotribune.com, "Forgetting events is part of the way we create memories. It also explains the Facebook crisis, Putin and Trump," 6 Apr. 2018
Although water levels are receding, allowing the structure's closure, the Mississippi River remains at an elevated level, according to a Corps news release.

— littice bacon-blood, NOLA.com, "All Bonnet Carre Spillway bays will close Friday, Mississippi River still 'elevated'," 30 Mar. 2018
Despite efforts, there’s little sign that the epidemic is receding, locally and nationwide.

— naseem s. miller, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Local nonprofit launches resource website for opioid crisis," 29 Mar. 2018
See, Avery Island is in southern Louisiana, where from 2010 to 2016 the coastline receded at an average rate of a football field every 100 minutes, according to the New Orleans Times Picayune.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "How climate change threatens to sink one of the world’s most popular hot sauces | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 27 Mar. 2018
More: Cincinnati flooding: Water receding, but 'event is not over' On Feb. 24, Kasich declared a state of emergency in 17 counties.

— cameron knight, Cincinnati.com, "Kasich asks for federal help with $44 million in flood damage," 26 Mar. 2018
But those waves crashed and receded, and federal law remains fundamentally unchanged.

— joseph blocher, Vox, "A gun debate compromise: let cities and rural areas pass different laws," 24 Mar. 2018
The preschool receded behind them, and the Charles River appeared in the distance.

— jessica knoll, Glamour, "The Governor’s Daughter Has a Big Problem," 20 Mar. 2018
In an era when Western business executives and traders obsess over China, and governments focus on ISIS, Syria, Iran and Vladimir Putin, Japan has receded into international obscurity.

— bill powell, Newsweek, "How Shinzo Abe Became Postwar Japan's Most Consequential Leader," 29 Sep. 2015

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

Origin and Etymology of recede

Middle English, from Latin recedere to go back, from re- + cedere to go

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of recede

recede, retreat, retract, back mean to move backward. recede implies a gradual withdrawing from a forward or high fixed point in time or space.

- the flood waters gradually receded

retreat implies withdrawal from a point or position reached.

- retreating soldiers

retract implies drawing back from an extended position.

- a cat retracting its claws

back is used with up, down, out, or off to refer to any retrograde motion.

- backed off on the throttle

recede

verb re·cede \ (ˌ)rē-ˈsēd \

Definition of recede

transitive verb

: to cede back to a former possessor

Recent Examples of recede from the Web

The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar The floodwaters have receded.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Floodwaters are gone. Now it's time for 'mucking and gutting.' Three things you should know as the region cleans up.," 5 Mar. 2018
Moody was a key lieutenant to the late Fox News executive Roger Ailes, but his impact and oversight had receded in recent years.

— jeremy barr, The Hollywood Reporter, "Fox News Exec Who Wrote Inflammatory Column Exits Company," 2 Mar. 2018
Michigan has particularly interesting dynamics from isostatic rebound, as the area near what became the state's southern border is also about the farthest extent of the last glacial period, more than 20,000 years ago, before the ice began to recede.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Great Lakes still impacted by Ice Age phenomenon," 2 Mar. 2018
Ideas about boyhood that persisted for generations are beginning to recede.

— michael reichert, The Atlantic, "Male Violence Is Everywhere," 26 Feb. 2018
International terrorism’s threat to the United States has largely receded: Al-Qaeda is a remnant of its former self, and the Islamic State has been largely defeated in Iraq and Syria.

— matt ford, New Republic, "Dismantle the Department of Homeland Security," 21 Feb. 2018
The pain was exacerbated by the Great Recession and has barely receded in the years since.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "This nation pioneered modern life. Now epic numbers of Americans are killing themselves with opioids to escape it.," 20 Feb. 2018
The state police said the road will reopen when the water recedes.

— edmund h. mahony, courant.com, "Ice, Flooding Close Route 7 In Kent," 13 Jan. 2018
While Peruvian investor anxiety has receded since the impeachment vote, the president remains under investigation for his ties to Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and could face another vote should anything more be uncovered.

— justin villamil, Bloomberg.com, "Election Risks Loom Over Latin American Sovereign Bonds in 2018," 8 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of recede

re- + cede

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1771

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

RECEDE Defined for Kids

recede

verb re·cede \ ri-ˈsēd \

Definition of recede for Students

receded; receding

1 : to move back or away

Floodwaters are receding.

2 : to become smaller or weaker

… I heard … footsteps receding.
—Avi, Crispin

Word Root of recede

The Latin word cedere, meaning “to go,” gives us the root ced. Words from the Latin cedere have something to do with going. To precede is to go before. To exceed is to go beyond a limit. To proceed is to go forward. To recede is to go back or away.

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