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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ceding
Stalin invaded in November of 1939, expecting a quick takeover, but the Finns inflicted many times more casualties on the Soviets before eventually ceding 11 percent of their territory and partial control over their foreign affairs.
—
Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Maybe these choices aren’t driven by a fear of ceding audience attention to TikTok so much as by fear of letting a taut story go slack.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
Legislatures may operate while steadily ceding authority.
—Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
By that measure, ceding the oil industry to the United States at least holds the promise of importing industrial know-how with some financial benefit for the country.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
In 2020, Klobuchar launched a brief bid to be her party's presidential nominee, eventually ceding to President Biden.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
When these assaults are launched against a Ukrainian position, Ukrainian forces withdraw immediately, temporarily ceding the ground.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The economic disruption that followed forced a rethink of trade policy, and Congress responded by ceding more authority to the President.
—Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Cooper had asked comedian (and friend, of course) Shane Gillis for early notes, and Gillis suggested that Arnett start going onstage for live sets, eventually ceding 10 minutes of his own headlining show in Austin.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Maybe these choices aren’t driven by a fear of ceding audience attention to TikTok so much as by fear of letting a taut story go slack.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
Legislatures may operate while steadily ceding authority.
—Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
By that measure, ceding the oil industry to the United States at least holds the promise of importing industrial know-how with some financial benefit for the country.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
In 2020, Klobuchar launched a brief bid to be her party's presidential nominee, eventually ceding to President Biden.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
When these assaults are launched against a Ukrainian position, Ukrainian forces withdraw immediately, temporarily ceding the ground.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The economic disruption that followed forced a rethink of trade policy, and Congress responded by ceding more authority to the President.
—Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Cooper had asked comedian (and friend, of course) Shane Gillis for early notes, and Gillis suggested that Arnett start going onstage for live sets, eventually ceding 10 minutes of his own headlining show in Austin.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
-
The Buffalo Bills lasted seven weeks in the pole position before relinquishing the title to the Kansas City Chiefs.—
Scott Phillips,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In contrast to the Republican focus on transferring wealth to billionaires and corporations, Democrats evaluate the economy based on how everyday people are doing.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
-
John Karlic, a 35-year-old student who lives in Burbank, said Saint Xavier was his first choice for transferring his Trinity credits.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The United States, in other words, is not just abdicating its role in the current international system.—
ELIZABETH ECONOMY,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Dec. 2025
-
After all, Perfidia explodes other archetypes, too—for instance, abdicating her roles as a mother and romantic partner to continue her work.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Despite surrendering a two-goal lead in the third period, the Panthers got the edge in the shootout with a winning goal from Brad Marchand.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Meekly surrendering the Carabao Cup over two legs against Manchester City 11 months later underlines the still-pending nature of their transformation into an elite outfit.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Like other participants, the Mantic AI had to answer 60 questions by assigning probabilities to certain outcomes.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
-
If, as seems to be generally accepted, the Biden administration allowed some 15 million immigrants into the country, assigning 1,000 judges to their hearings and having each hear five cases a day would result in the process taking about 10 years to complete.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pawula was working for the Big Tent Coalition, a political action committee founded by Tim Ozinga, R-Mokena, who was state representative in the 37th House District before abruptly resigning in April 2024.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Fort Worth Independent School District Trustee Wallace Bridges is resigning from the school board after the district lost its appeal challenging a state takeover from the Texas Education Agency.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In pushing for cuts, he could be outvoted, rendering himself the functional equivalent of a potted plant.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The move from Royal Lodge follows Charles stripping his brother of all of his royal titles and privileges back in October, rendering him a commoner.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
