recede

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verb re·cede \ ri-ˈsēd \

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

Back in Conroe, the floodwaters just south of the dam had receded to below Farm Road 2854 by about 1 p.m., a possible sign of relief.

— ryan osborne, star-telegram, "40 miles from downtown Houston, ‘We thought the rain was going to come but not flood’," 29 Aug. 2017
Officials acknowledge that fatalities from Harvey could soar once the floodwaters start to recede from one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centers.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "In aftermath of Harvey, experts say, 'Give, but give wisely'," 29 Aug. 2017
Power is back this afternoon, water has receded but still non-stop rain…

— laura ungar, The Courier-Journal, "'Stay safe, little brother' – Hurricane Harvey traps Courier-Journal reporter's sibling," 29 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile, the state administration was bracing for the threat of infections as floodwaters recede.

— nirmala george, The Seattle Times, "At least 950 killed in South Asia’s annual monsoon floods," 24 Aug. 2017
But stocks soon receded and the index ended down for the day.

— joshua green, Bloomberg.com, "Bannon Says He’s ‘Going to War for Trump’ After White House Exit," 18 Aug. 2017
By Charlotte Lieberman Aug 16, 2017 789 The pastel pink mass swelled and receded on my screen.

— charlotte lieberman, Marie Claire, "Inside the Internet's Obsession with "Slime"," 16 Aug. 2017
Melodic lines thrusted forward in magnified focus; accompaniments receded into quiet murmurs.

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Olli Mustonen dazzles at SummerFest with audacious Beethoven performances," 8 Aug. 2017
Brush Creek, which had been raging Saturday, had receded by Sunday morning.

— toriano porter eric adler robert a. cronkleton and joe robertson, kansascity, "Torrential storms dump up to 5 inches of rain in KC area, causing flash flooding," 6 Aug. 2017

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

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

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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

Back in Conroe, the floodwaters just south of the dam had receded to below Farm Road 2854 by about 1 p.m., a possible sign of relief.

— ryan osborne, star-telegram, "40 miles from downtown Houston, ‘We thought the rain was going to come but not flood’," 29 Aug. 2017
Officials acknowledge that fatalities from Harvey could soar once the floodwaters start to recede from one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centers.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "In aftermath of Harvey, experts say, 'Give, but give wisely'," 29 Aug. 2017
Power is back this afternoon, water has receded but still non-stop rain…

— laura ungar, The Courier-Journal, "'Stay safe, little brother' – Hurricane Harvey traps Courier-Journal reporter's sibling," 29 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile, the state administration was bracing for the threat of infections as floodwaters recede.

— nirmala george, The Seattle Times, "At least 950 killed in South Asia’s annual monsoon floods," 24 Aug. 2017
But stocks soon receded and the index ended down for the day.

— joshua green, Bloomberg.com, "Bannon Says He’s ‘Going to War for Trump’ After White House Exit," 18 Aug. 2017
By Charlotte Lieberman Aug 16, 2017 789 The pastel pink mass swelled and receded on my screen.

— charlotte lieberman, Marie Claire, "Inside the Internet's Obsession with "Slime"," 16 Aug. 2017
Melodic lines thrusted forward in magnified focus; accompaniments receded into quiet murmurs.

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Olli Mustonen dazzles at SummerFest with audacious Beethoven performances," 8 Aug. 2017
Brush Creek, which had been raging Saturday, had receded by Sunday morning.

— toriano porter eric adler robert a. cronkleton and joe robertson, kansascity, "Torrential storms dump up to 5 inches of rain in KC area, causing flash flooding," 6 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of recede

re- + cede

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1771

See Words from the same year

RECEDE Defined for Kids

recede

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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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See words that rhyme with recede Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for recede Spanish Central: Translation of recede Nglish: Translation of recede for Spanish speakers

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