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
The government and its Russian allies were able to rally, but not before ceding effective control over the north.
—
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2026
The Sixers had momentum — a chance to steal (yes, steal) a game against a far (yes, far) superior Knicks team and salvage what was left of their playoff hopes after ceding the first two games of the second-round series at Madison Square Garden.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
For most people, the idea of ceding control to a robot is out there at best; downright terrifying at worst.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 May 2026
After six years of happily ceding the spotlight to higher-profile players like Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle, McDaniels offered up his commentary as a way of taking the focus off of his teammates and putting it onto his slender shoulders.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The event came as Buffett, the 95-year-old chairman who has defined the gathering for decades, is no longer expected to headline the marquee Q&A session in the same way, ceding the spotlight to Greg Abel, who took over as CEO at the beginning of 2026.
—Yun Li,sarah Min, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Other members who spoke to reporters at Nature News told the outlet that the board was set to meet on May 5 and planned to release a report on how the US is ceding ground to China on scientific endeavors.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Scientists fear the moves will collapse broad investment in fundamental research and talent development, replacing it with a narrow focus on AI, while potentially ceding American scientific dominance to global competitors.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The chipmaker is in the midst of a multiyear effort to restore its technological leadership after years of ceding market share to rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2026
The Sixers had momentum — a chance to steal (yes, steal) a game against a far (yes, far) superior Knicks team and salvage what was left of their playoff hopes after ceding the first two games of the second-round series at Madison Square Garden.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
For most people, the idea of ceding control to a robot is out there at best; downright terrifying at worst.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 May 2026
After six years of happily ceding the spotlight to higher-profile players like Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle, McDaniels offered up his commentary as a way of taking the focus off of his teammates and putting it onto his slender shoulders.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The event came as Buffett, the 95-year-old chairman who has defined the gathering for decades, is no longer expected to headline the marquee Q&A session in the same way, ceding the spotlight to Greg Abel, who took over as CEO at the beginning of 2026.
—Yun Li,sarah Min, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Other members who spoke to reporters at Nature News told the outlet that the board was set to meet on May 5 and planned to release a report on how the US is ceding ground to China on scientific endeavors.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Scientists fear the moves will collapse broad investment in fundamental research and talent development, replacing it with a narrow focus on AI, while potentially ceding American scientific dominance to global competitors.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The chipmaker is in the midst of a multiyear effort to restore its technological leadership after years of ceding market share to rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
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And at the counter, where chef and guest are separated by little more than a stretch of the hand, everything rests on precision, presence and the quiet thrill of relinquishing control to the chef’s capable hands.—
Rachel Ingram,
Robb Report,
10 May 2026
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The Monarchs went 8-1 in league play before relinquishing the district title.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 May 2026
Verb
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After transferring from West Aurora, Tyler Davis has been in Aurora Central Catholic’s baseball program for only two seasons, but one thing was clear right away.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
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Whether those six figures are invested in real estate, stocks, bonds, precious metals or a mix of all four, taking this much money out of your savings account and transferring it elsewhere always needs to be done judiciously.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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In its most hostile version, the same qualities are recast as evidence of his succumbing to spectacle and abdicating basic architectural responsibility.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Following a brief standoff, Puscasu was taken into custody after surrendering to police.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
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This spring, the Japanese art of surrendering to the chef’s hand is experiencing a renaissance in W1.—
Rachel Ingram,
Robb Report,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The market doesn't think so, assigning him a 1% chance of getting rates down this year, according to CME FedWatch.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
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Starting the following year, in 2022, records show that Fortune offered Agan a role supporting new teachers rather than assigning him his own classroom.—
Holly McDede,
ProPublica,
12 May 2026
Verb
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The broadcaster then served as director of television programming from 1968 to 1972, later resigning to make his own television programs.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
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Russia and Israel, whom the resigning jury had excluded from the prize running, are eligible for the new prizes.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The Braves wound up in last place that season, and Schuerholz arrived in October as the Braves’ new GM, rendering Cox a full-time manager again.—
Mark Bradley for the AJC,
AJC.com,
9 May 2026
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Instead, the interstellar medium is dominated by gas, and mostly hydrogen gas at that, but in the warmer, more diffuse regions of space, that gas becomes ionized, rendering it into a plasma.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
8 May 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 15 May. 2026.
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