recede

verb re·cede \ ri-ˈsēd \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

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

What has not receded is Li’s power as a symbol of success in China.

— ben rothenberg, New York Times, "Years After Retiring, Li Na Wields Major Influence in Tennis," 12 July 2018
The new statement from Mr. Trump’s lawyer, repeated on three Sunday news shows and in an interview with the New York Times, suggests prospects are receding for a sit-down between the president and Mr. Mueller.

— lalita clozel, WSJ, "Giuliani Demands ‘Factual Basis’ for Mueller Probe Before Any Trump Interview," 8 July 2018
But the effort appears unsuccessful and the situation remains dire, with no guarantee that the water will soon recede.

— times staff, latimes.com, "A curious soccer team, a flooded Thai cave and a perilous trek to safety," 8 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
Waters in the cave must recede to safe levels before the boys can be safely extracted, experts say.

— author: shibani mahtani, Anchorage Daily News, "Rescue of Thai youth soccer team trapped in cave could take months, warn officials," 3 July 2018
The political backlash against immigration is therefore peaking at a time when the number of migrants is receding.

— The Economist, "America’s immigration system is broken," 28 June 2018
The number of murders dropped in 2017 to 650, but still have not receded to pre-2016 levels.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Some refugees resettling in America find gun violence instead of peace," 27 June 2018
Though each wave of activism and insurgency within the Democratic Party has eventually crested and receded, the impact on the party’s makeup, agenda, and behavior has been cumulative — and powerful.

— sam rosenfeld, Vox, "The Democratic Party is moving steadily leftward. So why does the left still distrust it?," 22 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.

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

receded; receding; recedes

transitive verb

: to cede back to a former possessor

Recent Examples of recede from the Web

What has not receded is Li’s power as a symbol of success in China.

— ben rothenberg, New York Times, "Years After Retiring, Li Na Wields Major Influence in Tennis," 12 July 2018
The challenges were so daunting that some advocated waiting—perhaps months—until waters receded enough for the team to crawl its way out.

— jake maxwell watts, WSJ, "Four Boys Rescued From Flooded Thai Cave," 8 July 2018
Waters in the cave must recede to safe levels before the boys can be safely extracted, experts say.

— author: shibani mahtani, Anchorage Daily News, "Rescue of Thai youth soccer team trapped in cave could take months, warn officials," 3 July 2018
Though each wave of activism and insurgency within the Democratic Party has eventually crested and receded, the impact on the party’s makeup, agenda, and behavior has been cumulative — and powerful.

— sam rosenfeld, Vox, "The Democratic Party is moving steadily leftward. So why does the left still distrust it?," 22 June 2018
The finish line advances and recedes, but the idea is to keep plodding forward regardless.

— bob ford, Philly.com, "Passing on Michael Porter Jr. in NBA draft shows change in how Sixers view themselves | Bob Ford," 22 June 2018
Climate scientists point to the Arctic as the place where climate change is most noticeable with dramatic sea ice loss, a melting Greenland ice sheet, receding glaciers and thawing permafrost.

— seth borenstein and nicky forster, Cincinnati.com, "Warned 30 years ago, global warming 'is in our living room'," 18 June 2018
The closer one comes to something being in reach, the further the horizon recedes.

— lauren markham, Longreads, "For Me, With Love and Squalor," 7 June 2018
If the celebrity is a kind of god, then Stephen Malkmus was a god from a Kafka story, forever receding into inscrutability.

— ryu spaeth, The New Republic, "What Happened to the Cool Jerk of Indie Rock?," 4 June 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.