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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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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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
Although reported to be in strong health for her age, Ono has rarely appeared in public this decade and has ceded oversight of Lennon’s archives to the couple’s son, Sean.
—
Spin Staff, SPIN, 21 May 2026
Faced with such stark options, the Cuban government may choose to go down fighting rather than cede power without firing a shot.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
To cede all of that ground to the executive, and to do so in such an obsequious way, is shameful.
—Ken Burns, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Proponents of such protections should reframe the debate accordingly or risk ceding some ethical high ground.
—Adam W. Gaffney, STAT, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cede
Spin Staff, SPIN, 21 May 2026
Faced with such stark options, the Cuban government may choose to go down fighting rather than cede power without firing a shot.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
To cede all of that ground to the executive, and to do so in such an obsequious way, is shameful.
—Ken Burns, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Proponents of such protections should reframe the debate accordingly or risk ceding some ethical high ground.
—Adam W. Gaffney, STAT, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cede
Verb
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Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control.—
Jacques Ledbetter,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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Days after being released on a 1 million-euro bail, the company announced that the 45-year-old has temporarily relinquished his roles as vice chairman and as a member of the board of directors.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The book is a poetry collection structured in three acts with seven players, each assigned a color of the rainbow and an apparition’s name, each of whom needs an audience to fully exist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
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Since the war began, at least two of the three LCS assigned to the gulf for minesweeping have been spotted as far away as Malaysia and Singapore.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
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These recent hospitalizations are the latest in a series of health issues for the former monarch, who abdicated from the throne in January 2024 on the 52nd anniversary of her accession.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
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Too many people have abdicated their collective responsibility.—
KEN BURNS,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Johnson’s second home run, his 14th of the season, came off UCLA star closer Easton Hawk, who had surrendered just three home runs this season.—
Mercury News staff,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
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Sukhmati was one of those who surrendered, in October 2025, as the central government ramped up operations.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Fonenot transferred to Mater Dei Catholic School before this school year.—
Steve Brand,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
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After arriving, those items will be transferred immediately into other outbound trucks, along with other incoming deliveries, and sent out to other warehouses.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Hill resigned from her job in 2024, and her attorney in a civil suit brought by Murdaugh against her did not respond to a request for comment.—
Andrea Marks,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
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Richard Simms has resigned after 21 years as girls’ soccer coach at Harvard-Westlake.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Verb
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The only danger was that theriac was thought to heat the body and thus could supposedly render an individual more susceptible to corruption by the plague.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
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In the 1950s and 1960s, goldwork comes to the fore, with skirts rendered in intricate, lace-like precious metal.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Outside, the grounds strike a balance between playful and Zen-inspired, with a giant Jeff Koons balloon dog greeting visitors in the circular driveway—a whimsical touch that’s unlikely to convey with the property.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
28 May 2026
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Composer Mac Quayle’s score plays a deep cello conveying deep dread.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cede. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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