1
as in to relinquish
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 to assign
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to abdicate
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cede
One George reflects on another Bush in his essay on Washington reflected on the first president's willingness to cede power both as the Army's commander and as president, his loyalty to his country and his achievements, including avoiding war and stabilizing a burgeoning economy.
—
Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Even his 15-minute cameo during the uplifting 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Tuesday was poor, with the 25-year-old repeatedly ceding possession when Newcastle just needed to see the game out.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
The most sensitive details of the negotiations with the Russians, such as the need to cede land in exchange for peace, would need to wait until the team got home.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
The specialization that cedes politics, economics or communication to separate disciplines is, in sociology, an invitation to synthesize and to consider how these broad social processes engage, reinforce or conflict with one another.
—Wendy Nelson Espeland, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cede
Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Even his 15-minute cameo during the uplifting 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Tuesday was poor, with the 25-year-old repeatedly ceding possession when Newcastle just needed to see the game out.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
The most sensitive details of the negotiations with the Russians, such as the need to cede land in exchange for peace, would need to wait until the team got home.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
The specialization that cedes politics, economics or communication to separate disciplines is, in sociology, an invitation to synthesize and to consider how these broad social processes engage, reinforce or conflict with one another.
—Wendy Nelson Espeland, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cede
Verb
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His father refused to relinquish his grudge, as Dreher saw it, and his mother always went along with her husband.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
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Notable sellers include Bruce Springsteen, who in 2021 made a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to relinquish his master recordings and songs for $500 million.—
Malia Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hours after her post, deputies assigned to the Salton City sheriff’s station responded to a call about the discovery of human remains in Salton City.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Investigators wrote that the man’s son was ultimately hired by one of the unnamed vendors, and assigned to a project that was not MTA-related.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As systems act more autonomously and with greater speed, humans would be tempted to abdicate decision making in order to leverage their power.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
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Healey has clearly decided to abdicate her responsibility to protect taxpayer money.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Concerned about the safety of two children in the home, Aljorna and Sosa-Celis surrendered.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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Arizona recently surrendered about a third of its allotted supply of the river through both mandatory and compensated voluntary cuts to keep Lake Mead from going dry.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Iraq's National Center for International Judicial Cooperation said 5,704 suspects from 61 countries who were affiliated with IS were transferred from prisons in Syria.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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The workers transfer here and are not hired locally.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is growing, after another key aide resigned over revelations about Epstein’s contact with a senior politician.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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Wetzel replaces Donnie Yantis, who in January resigned as head coach after four seasons at the private school.—
Greg Riddle,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Beer that turned green − possibly a chemical reaction with the drugs Dominque Pelicot had been slipping into her drinks and food to render her unconscious for the rapes.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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However, last week the environmental groups submitted filings that requested the panel conduct oral arguments before rendering a decision.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lenderman conveys this perfectly, despite having never played it live before.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
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Mary does nothing to hide her irritability with him, something Metcalf conveys to perfection.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cede. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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