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 death toll rose as thousands of soldiers scoured the destruction left in the wake of the receding waters, clearing roads blocked with trees and cars to rescue the missing.—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025 After their deaths, the headlines receded.—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025 His receding hairline could no longer be disguised with styling products, and even his partner noticed how much the hair loss was accelerating.—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025 After the strike ended, New York’s prisons largely receded from the headlines.—Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 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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