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
Verb (1)
the sound of sirens receded as the fire engines roared off into the distance
after the rain stops, the floodwaters should gradually recede
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Verb
The dull work of shuffling paper and cross-referencing spreadsheets will finally recede.—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025 Waters were receding Wednesday, and Allegany County officials conducting damage assessments said some roads had been washed out.—John Bacon, USA Today, 15 May 2025 This opaque foreign policy mess has receded from history, a minor speedbump at the triumphant end of the Cold War.—Time, 14 May 2025 But as the ground shifts on tariffs and stock markets recover, those political dangers are likely to recede.—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for recede
Word History
Etymology
Verb (1)
Middle English, from Latin recedere to go back, from re- + cedere to go
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