1
as in relinquishing
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 transferring
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 abdicating
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 ceding
Boulee gave the two parties a deadline to agree on a mediator and come to the table, but with the deadline approaching, officials say neither side was ceding any ground.
—
Dan Raby, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Southwest Airlines is cutting service at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, effectively ceding ground to the two giants jockeying for dominance at the hub.
—Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
Officials at both districts point to the fact that their current offers to their unions are in line with the recommendations of an independent fact finder and that ceding to union demands would mean major programming cuts for students.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
But Scrubs builds the new cast members into each episode bit by bit, ceding a little more narrative ground to them with each episode rather than immediately overwhelming their caseload.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
The latest cliff-hanger, which saw Netflix ceding the bidding war to Paramount late Thursday, had Hollywood and the media worlds agog.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
African democracies are faltering, some ceding ground to Russia and China.
—Alexanderia Baker-Haidara, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Critics questioned whether the company was selling out by ceding to OpenAI so quickly.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Jackson stepped down as president of Rainbow/PUSH in 2023, ceding the reins to a Dallas pastor who left less than a year later.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Dan Raby, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Southwest Airlines is cutting service at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, effectively ceding ground to the two giants jockeying for dominance at the hub.
—Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
Officials at both districts point to the fact that their current offers to their unions are in line with the recommendations of an independent fact finder and that ceding to union demands would mean major programming cuts for students.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
But Scrubs builds the new cast members into each episode bit by bit, ceding a little more narrative ground to them with each episode rather than immediately overwhelming their caseload.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
The latest cliff-hanger, which saw Netflix ceding the bidding war to Paramount late Thursday, had Hollywood and the media worlds agog.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
African democracies are faltering, some ceding ground to Russia and China.
—Alexanderia Baker-Haidara, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Critics questioned whether the company was selling out by ceding to OpenAI so quickly.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Jackson stepped down as president of Rainbow/PUSH in 2023, ceding the reins to a Dallas pastor who left less than a year later.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
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With concerns growing about a global energy crisis, an Iranian official said Tehran had no intention of relinquishing its tight grip on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for oil.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
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With concerns growing about a global energy crisis, an Iranian official said Tehran had no intention of relinquishing its tight grip on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for oil.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cantens, a 40-year-old Miami native, played his first year of college basketball at FIU as a 6-foot point guard before transferring to Eckerd College and reaching the NCAA Division II national playoffs.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
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In an era when student-athletes are transferring schools at the end of every season, this team is an example of what can happen when those athletes dedicate their lives to a single program.—
Cassidy Wood,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Democratic leaders have accused Congress of abdicating its constitutional role, and some members plan to boycott the address or attend in silent protest.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
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The United States, in other words, is not just abdicating its role in the current international system.—
ELIZABETH ECONOMY,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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McLean then took the loss in his first WBC start, surrendering three runs over three innings in Team USA’s 8-6 defeat by Team Italy during pool play.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Backup goaltender Casey DeSmith had one of his worst nights, surrendering five goals on 21 shots.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mike Lefkow, who was Steward’s assigning editor after the Oakland Tribune and Contra Costa Times merged, said Steward could do it all.—
Jon Becker,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Markets are assigning a near 100% probability that the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee will remain on hold.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This led to 60-some staff members resigning from the paper.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
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Jackson had been looking to return to Congress after resigning in 2012, and was hoping voters will give him another chance despite his conviction on federal charges.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Its lifeworld, its temporal and spatial perspective, contrasts with the human, rendering our characters as distant, as inanimate, as the stelae and sculptures that surround them.—
Ben Lerner,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
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As Lewis was rendering aid he was struck by a third vehicle, authorities said.—
Louis Casiano , Brooke Taylor,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Effectively, Newsom’s slow roll protects him from taking any meaningful actions, thus bequeathing reparations to his successor, like his many other unresolved California issues.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
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Rewriting society’s decision-making Unlike biased pundits who hem, haw and hedge their bets, Web3 prediction markets cut through noise, bequeathing a signal that feeds into pricing mechanisms themselves.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ceding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ceding. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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