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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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 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
While ad revenue is on the upswing for streaming outlets like Paramount+ and Pluto, the company’s longstanding TV networks have been ceding precious ad dollars to other venues.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Members of his cabinet swallowed their apprehension, ceding to their boss’s confidence, the Times reported.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
As Big Tech companies face legal backlash for addictive features and potential mental health risk, parents are ceding responsibility for what happens inside the home.
—Maggie Anders, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
But others can ask to maintain more creative control if interested, rather than the traditional practice of ceding it to the industry.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
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
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
While ad revenue is on the upswing for streaming outlets like Paramount+ and Pluto, the company’s longstanding TV networks have been ceding precious ad dollars to other venues.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Members of his cabinet swallowed their apprehension, ceding to their boss’s confidence, the Times reported.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
As Big Tech companies face legal backlash for addictive features and potential mental health risk, parents are ceding responsibility for what happens inside the home.
—Maggie Anders, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
But others can ask to maintain more creative control if interested, rather than the traditional practice of ceding it to the industry.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
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Tarrant County commissioners unanimously decided on Tuesday to put about a quarter mile of road up for sale in hopes of relinquishing control over the stretch.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Apr. 2026
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While the company is seen as relinquishing its multi-year lead on the technology, former Apple insiders said there's still hope.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tibbetts went to high school at Jefferson before transferring to a school in Sioux Falls as a junior.—
Annie Costabile,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Before transferring to Texas A&M, Onyedim was a teammate of Denver’s Eyioma Uwazurike at Iowa State.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 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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Right-hander Colin Rea handled the Phillies, tossing 6 2/3 innings while surrendering just one run on six hits.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
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Two soldiers, hands in the air, surrendering and carefully following the orders barked at them by the other side.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Prevost has recounted that at one point Bergoglio had expressed interest in assigning an Augustinian priest to a specific job in his archdiocese.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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But for families, the real power move is assigning a bin per person.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After his 2022 bankruptcy petition was approved, Gurliacci rejoined the work force, hopping to six Georgia law enforcement agencies within three years, each time resigning before moving on, records obtained by AP show.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Then the bombshell allegations against Swalwell came out, leading to his dropping out of the race and, subsequently, resigning from Congress.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Antibodies that my body developed to fight the mycoplasma bacteria also destroyed my red blood cells, rendering me briefly anemic.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Upon arrival, officers saw Long Beach firefighters rendering medical aid to the victim, who was lying in the road.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 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 25 Apr. 2026.
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