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
There wasn’t even enough time for a true Valve or Nintendo competitor to emerge — no other manufacturer ever meaningfully challenged them on price, ceding the market accordingly.
—
Sean Hollister, The Verge, 28 May 2026
College football’s lucrative television deals come at the price of schools ceding control of their kickoff times to media partners.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 27 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
In the next wave of technological competition, the current disconnect between invention and production could mean ceding both economic value and competitive advantage.
—Eric Kutcher, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Entertainment content keeps ceding ground to sports on NBC‘s primetime schedule.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 11 May 2026
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
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
Sean Hollister, The Verge, 28 May 2026
College football’s lucrative television deals come at the price of schools ceding control of their kickoff times to media partners.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 27 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
In the next wave of technological competition, the current disconnect between invention and production could mean ceding both economic value and competitive advantage.
—Eric Kutcher, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Entertainment content keeps ceding ground to sports on NBC‘s primetime schedule.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 11 May 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
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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Iranian media have emphasized that reopening the waterway to shipping does not mean Tehran is relinquishing its wartime claims over the strategic chokepoint.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Photonics, the use of light to transmit data, is an emerging technology considered to be a more efficient alternative to the current process of transferring data using electricity.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
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For Jackson, that meant starting at a mid-major, learning about the game and proving himself before transferring to an SEC power.—
Teddy Cahill,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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They’d be upset about Article One of the Constitution, the legislative branch abdicating its powers; that is, the people’s power to wage war and to levy tariffs.—
KEN BURNS,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
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Dinello was right, and The Late Show eventually became late night’s ratings leader—a throne that CBS is now voluntarily abdicating.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
Verb
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After Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies – a defeat that happened in large part because reliever Tanner Scott reverted to some old, bad habits in surrendering a 3-1 lead in the eighth – Yamamoto understood Sunday’s assignment.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
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Your choice Remember, there’s a big difference between offering someone a small gift and surrendering to the other person’s demand.—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance (LP-IR) Test estimates the body’s response to insulin by analyzing patterns in blood fats and assigning a score from zero to 100.—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
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Wittmann suggests assigning specific zones—like the entryway or living room—to each person in the household for a fast, low-effort way to consistently tidy.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Despite their steadfast opposition to the change, most in the college hockey world are resigning themselves to likely new reality.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
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Last fall, former Chief Floyd Mitchell openly criticized the stringent nature of federal court oversight while resigning from the department after just a year and a half on the job, leaving the agency searching for a new leader for at least the 10th time since 2015.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The r on my laptop keyboard, worn to breaking, will soon fall off, rendering that laptop lifeless.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
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Of course, that club won the World Series, rendering Crane’s silence a footnote in a superb season.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Verb
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The Cubs bequeathing the dubious distinction of the sport’s longest title drought to Cleveland.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Ceding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ceding. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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