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
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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 latest cliff-hanger, which saw Netflix ceding the bidding war to Paramount late Thursday, had Hollywood and the media worlds agog.
—
Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
African democracies are faltering, some ceding ground to Russia and China.
—Alexanderia Baker-Haidara, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Critics questioned whether the company was selling out by ceding to OpenAI so quickly.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Jackson stepped down as president of Rainbow/PUSH in 2023, ceding the reins to a Dallas pastor who left less than a year later.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Even his 15-minute cameo during the uplifting 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Tuesday was poor, with the 25-year-old repeatedly ceding possession when Newcastle just needed to see the game out.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
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
Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
African democracies are faltering, some ceding ground to Russia and China.
—Alexanderia Baker-Haidara, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Critics questioned whether the company was selling out by ceding to OpenAI so quickly.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Jackson stepped down as president of Rainbow/PUSH in 2023, ceding the reins to a Dallas pastor who left less than a year later.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Even his 15-minute cameo during the uplifting 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Tuesday was poor, with the 25-year-old repeatedly ceding possession when Newcastle just needed to see the game out.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
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Payton relinquishing the duties deserves praise.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
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Riley was the head coach and team president for the Heat’s first NBA championship in 2006 before relinquishing those duties to Erik Spoelstra in 2008.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For Ar'Maj Reed-Adams, transferring to Texas A&M's football program wasn't just about being closer to home.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
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Cincinnati recently sued Brendan Sorsby – who reportedly received $5 million to sign with Texas Tech – for $1 million, claiming that’s the buyout for transferring under terms of his NIL agreement.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 27,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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In the aftermath of the shooting, video was posted on social media, and commenters raised concerns about police opening fire on a man who appeared in the video to be surrendering.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
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Chicagoans like us know something about living alongside violence without surrendering our civic identity.—
Andy Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Regional Administrative Judge Ray Wheless, who is in charge of assigning visiting judges in Dallas County, said Monday he was asked to stop sending Snipes to Dallas County courts after the allegations were made public and an investigation began.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
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The prosecutor’s whipsawing stances led Silvaggio to delay assigning the case to a trial judge for a week.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The furore led to both Davie and the BBC’s head of news Deborah Turness resigning.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
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Farmington, a rural California town of 262 people in San Joaquin County, is facing a major fire department issue with their battalion chief recently resigning and the county launching an ad-hoc committee.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When exposed to moisture, including indoor humidity, powder detergent clumps and harden, rendering it unusable.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Feb. 2026
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This condensation can freeze and block the flow of fuel, rendering your car incapable of starting.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 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 7 Mar. 2026.
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