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
Even the most fossil fuel funded American senator has to recognize that in this period of exponential technological advancement, to act slowly is to cede our future.
—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
After the Qing dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 following the first Sino-Japanese war, subsequent rulers of China considered Taiwan territory that should be regained.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
Ukrainians overwhelmingly reject ceding territory.
—Oleksandra Matviichuk, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Peace cannot be achieved by ceding sovereignty.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cede
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
After the Qing dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 following the first Sino-Japanese war, subsequent rulers of China considered Taiwan territory that should be regained.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
Ukrainians overwhelmingly reject ceding territory.
—Oleksandra Matviichuk, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Peace cannot be achieved by ceding sovereignty.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cede
Verb
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In the latest demands of Intel, the government willingly relinquished the ability to exert control, despite being the largest holder of Intel’s shares.—
Andrew King,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
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At first glance, Beijing’s willingness to play ball on TikTok looks like a sharp reversal from its years of resistance to relinquishing control over the viral video app – the first global social media hit to come out of China.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If our hypothetical hard salary cap comes in, teams could be given a higher budget if a percentage is assigned to homegrown talents.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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The nearly 10,000 to 11,000 people assigned to the Cole building have been working remote, Kuhnen said.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
Freep.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The federal government has functionally abdicated its role in keeping Americans safe from dangerous illness.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
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This isn't about abdicating responsibility.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Valdez surrendered five runs and did not finish the fifth inning.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
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Just six teams in the NFL have surrendered an average of 30-plus points to their opponents thus far in 2025.—
Jacob Camenker,
USA Today,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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People point to the rising costs of wages and transfer fees as a reason to increase loss limits, but those continue to rise because teams continue to choose to spend their money in that way.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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He was subsequently transferred to the Adelanto facility on August 22.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last autumn, six months after beginning her solo career, the singer and Little Mix member pretty much resigned herself to life as a recluse, spending the majority of her time in her Cheshire house.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
24 Sep. 2025
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However, since then, Police Chief Scott Pavlock resigned.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In early January 2025, the Bureau of Land Management website explained the communities are in an area that climate change is rendering uninhabitable, mentioning climate eight times.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
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Miu Miu leaned into tradition, rendering argyle in a restrained palette that nodded to its country club roots.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One Battle After Another is full of pointed little moments like that, details that are at first funny — Lockjaw’s too-tight shirts, a group of separatists’ badly done face tattoos — but ultimately convey contempt for people who wield their power exclusively to hurt others.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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But part of the job of a pharaoh was to convey the message that the gods of the natural world were specifically and forever shining down upon them.—
Vanessa Taylor,
Big Think,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cede. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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