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
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
Israel’s leaders remain staunchly opposed to a Palestinian state, and have been wary of making long-term commitments on ceding control in the Gaza Strip.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2026
Once the dominant player in chips, Intel has struggled to keep pace with rivals over the past decade, ceding ground to Qualcomm and Nvidia in crucial areas like mobile and AI.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Holmes was the Bombers’ closer in 2024, before ceding his job to Weaver late in the season.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
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
Israel’s leaders remain staunchly opposed to a Palestinian state, and have been wary of making long-term commitments on ceding control in the Gaza Strip.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2026
Once the dominant player in chips, Intel has struggled to keep pace with rivals over the past decade, ceding ground to Qualcomm and Nvidia in crucial areas like mobile and AI.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Holmes was the Bombers’ closer in 2024, before ceding his job to Weaver late in the season.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
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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
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Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Between 2020 and 2023, he’s accused of transferring more than $4 million from the foundation to himself.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Jan. 2026
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Jolie attempted to sell her company, Nouvel, to Tenute Del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group, in 2021, effectively transferring her 50% ownership interest in Miraval.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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Iger is staying on as a senior advisor until the end of his current contract on December 31, surrendering the CEO title at the meeting.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
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Now, a video making the rounds on social media appears to show three Russian soldiers emerging from a building with their arms raised and surrendering to a robot armed with a machine gun.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Segmentation involves drawing precise boundaries, at the pixel level, around each element of an image and assigning it a label.—
Farren Fei Yuan,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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Nevertheless, the market is currently assigning AMAT valuations akin to scarcity.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps more poignantly, various DOJ and FBI officials have refused to pursue the administration’s agenda to go after journalists, with a number resigning their positions, Deadline can confirm.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
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The other will search for the next executive director to replace Greg Scholl, who is resigning in June.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The agents walk away without rendering aid.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
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Gaza’s health system was decimated in the war, rendering advanced surgical procedures out of reach.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 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 5 Feb. 2026.
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