1
as in relinquished
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
she reluctantly ceded her position as leader
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in transferred
to give over the legal possession or ownership of
Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States as part of the settlement of the Spanish-American War
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3
as in abdicated
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the President officially cedes his position on the January 20th immediately following the presidential election
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Recent Examples of ceded
The Marathas ceded Nagar Haveli to the Portuguese in 1783 as compensation for a Portuguese vessel that their navy had destroyed.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Boswell, the team’s senior leader, has ceded time on the ball to Wagler during the freshman’s remarkable rise to being named a second-team All-American.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
In the prelims, Williamson tied his teammate David King for the final spot in the final and King ceded the spot.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
The reality of the military situation suggests that the Donbas will be ceded to Moscow, as will the coastal strip in the south that links Crimea to Russia.
—Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The government ceded ground and offered to take prison time off the table.
—Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
The islands have been under British control since 1814, when they were ceded by France.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Mother Windsor, site of the first English settlement that eventually ceded away the land that became more than a dozen other towns, reminded us a mother still lays claim to essential wisdom.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
Since returning from a three-game injury absence, James has ceded more control of the offense to Doncic and Reaves.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Boswell, the team’s senior leader, has ceded time on the ball to Wagler during the freshman’s remarkable rise to being named a second-team All-American.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
In the prelims, Williamson tied his teammate David King for the final spot in the final and King ceded the spot.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
The reality of the military situation suggests that the Donbas will be ceded to Moscow, as will the coastal strip in the south that links Crimea to Russia.
—Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The government ceded ground and offered to take prison time off the table.
—Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
The islands have been under British control since 1814, when they were ceded by France.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Mother Windsor, site of the first English settlement that eventually ceded away the land that became more than a dozen other towns, reminded us a mother still lays claim to essential wisdom.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
Since returning from a three-game injury absence, James has ceded more control of the offense to Doncic and Reaves.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceded
Verb
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Kentucky opened the game’s scoring, but the Longhorns responded with a 15-0 first-quarter scoring run and never relinquished the lead.—
Myah Taylor,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The chance to play in a hometown regional became a possibility last summer when UH relinquished its role as host school for the South Region, one of four regional sites for the NCAA Tournament.—
Joseph Duarte,
Houston Chronicle,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But they were turned away by the guards, who told them that the ward’s detainees had been transferred elsewhere.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Another possibility is that their bodies simply don’t respond as well to IVF stimulation drugs—medications that push the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs at once that are later inseminated to make embryos that can be transferred to the uterus in the hopes of establishing a pregnancy.—
Sarah Elizabeth Richards,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Responsibility cannot be lost; it can only be abdicated.—
Rich Harwood,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
-
That means 4 out of every 5 fellow citizens of our state abdicated their civic responsibility.—
Otis Moss III,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Boston College pledge, junior Maddie Richey surrendered just 1 hit over 4 innings while striking out 8 for Country Day (4-2 overall, 1-0 confernece).—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The next inning, after Sheehan surrendered a solo homer to Ketel Marte, Freeland showed off his bat.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The missing candy bars could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets, the company said, but if this does happen, all products can be traced using the unique batch code assigned to individual bars.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The Israeli military said he was assigned to the 890th Battalion, Paratroopers Brigade.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some high-flying Epstein friends resigned or lost jobs in corporate America, academia, big law firms, the British, Slovakian and Norwegian governments and beyond.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Harris, a Democrat, is once again running for Congress in Georgia's 14th District, a deeply conservative region represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned in January this year.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Try taking a census of the immobilized population of Los Angeles — otherwise known as our civic statues, rendered in metal or stone.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
After Colon was shot, cops rendered first aid and called for an ambulance.—
Theodore Parisienne,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Indyke and Kahn serve as co-executors of Epstein's estate, were bequeathed by Epstein $50 and $25 million respectively, and managed Epstein's legal and financial affairs.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Before the ceremony, the queen bequeathed William the title of Duke of Cambridge.—
Christopher Luu,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ceded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ceded. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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