recede

verb (1)

re·cede | \ri-ˈsēd

receded; receding

Definition of recede

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to move back or away : withdraw a receding hairline

b : to slant backward

2 : to grow less or smaller : diminish, decrease a receding deficit

recede

verb (2)

re·cede | \(ˌ)rē-ˈsēd

receded; receding; recedes

Definition of recede (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cede back to a former possessor

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Choose the Right Synonym for recede

Verb (1)

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

Examples of recede in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Authorities have said footprints and handprints were found inside the cave complex, and that tourists trapped there by past floods have been rescued after the waters receded. — Tassanee Vejpongsa, Fox News, "Top Thai official says flooding complicates cave rescue," 26 June 2018 Officials said that tourists trapped there by past floods have been rescued after the waters receded. — Tassanee Vejpongsa, chicagotribune.com, "Thai soccer players missing inside flooded cave: 'Where is my child?'," 26 June 2018 Authorities have said footprints and handprints were found inside the cave complex, and that tourists trapped there by past floods have been rescued after the waters receded. — Tassanee Vejpongsa, The Seattle Times, "Flooding complicates cave search for Thai soccer team," 26 June 2018 According to Kamolchai, tourists trapped in the cave by past floods have been rescued after the water receded a few days later. — Tassanee Vejpongsa, BostonGlobe.com, "12 boys, coach missing in flooded Thailand cave," 25 June 2018 With the recent volcanic activity, that lava lake has receded underground. — Jay Jones, latimes.com, "Kilauea's eruption is reshaping Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Say goodbye to the popular lava lake," 21 June 2018 The onboard ranger explained that the onetime showpiece of Glacier Bay had receded out of sight, a retreat of more than 30 miles since Muir first saw it. — Anchorage Daily News, "A DIY trip through Alaska’s Inside Passage," 26 May 2018 Alsop drew from the orchestra a slow-but-inexorable crescendo that eventually receded to a whisper. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "CSO at Ravinia review: Marin Alsop poetically launches Bernstein tribute," 13 July 2018 Since the Soviet collapse, the sense of threat has receded and the barriers to working together have risen. — The Economist, "The Western alliance is in trouble," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Alsop drew from the orchestra a slow-but-inexorable crescendo that eventually receded to a whisper. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "CSO at Ravinia review: Marin Alsop poetically launches Bernstein tribute," 13 July 2018 The rebels in southern Syria once received significant backing and support from the U.S. that has receded and all but dried up over the past few years. — Albert Aji, Fox News, "Syrian troops celebrate recapture of border crossing," 7 July 2018 Full head of hair, gums that didn’t recede, pushups in the middle of the day. — Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, "The Luck of Kokura," 18 June 2018 The song mimics its metaphorical ebb and flow with a surge of sound that recedes into a soothing guitar melody and driving percussion. — Bryan Kress, Billboard, "Nic Pool Is Caught Under 'The Falls' in New Single: Exclusive," 14 June 2018 Like any great piece of art that can sustain multiple interpretations, different things come into focus and other things recede. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "'Boys in the Band': Joe Mantello and Zachary Quinto on the redemption of a notorious gay play," 8 June 2018 The horse was in the middle of the turn, a red speck in the distance on CBS’s long pan shot, Sham still visible, but receding. — Tim Layden, SI.com, "Remembering Chic Anderson’s Legendary Call of Secretariat’s Record Run at 1973 Belmont Stakes," 4 June 2018 Rescue alternatives include teaching the boys to dive and then swim out, a highly risky venture, remaining in the cave for months until the wet season ends and flood waters recede, or drilling a shaft into the cave from the forest above. — NBC News, "Thai diver dies amid cave rescue of trapped soccer team," 6 July 2018 Even as the taunts receded into her memory, that sense of rejection remained. — Anne Branigin, The Root, "Sophia Chang Ain’t Nothing to Fuck Wit’," 25 June 2018

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.