recede

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb recede contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of recede are back, retract, and retreat. While all these words mean "to move backward," recede implies a gradual withdrawing from a forward or high fixed point in time or space.

the flood waters gradually receded

In what contexts can back take the place of recede?

The meanings of back and recede largely overlap; however, back is used with up, down, out, or off to refer to any retrograde motion.

backed off on the throttle

When could retract be used to replace recede?

In some situations, the words retract and recede are roughly equivalent. However, retract implies drawing back from an extended position.

a cat retracting its claws

When would retreat be a good substitute for recede?

While the synonyms retreat and recede are close in meaning, retreat implies withdrawal from a point or position reached.

retreating soldiers

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of recede Floodwaters at smaller creeks and streams will begin to recede within days, AccuWeather reported, but major rivers will take much longer. Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 Payroll growth has slowed a bit from its pace in 2024 but is still positive, while job openings have receded but only to around their pre-pandemic levels. Jeff Cox, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025 And aggressive nationalism receded after World War II, as Europeans learned to channel their patriotic zeal through soccer, not war. Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2025 What To Know According to a survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), small business optimism receded in March to 97.4, below the 51-year average of 98 and well below the reading of 101.3 that analysts had anticipated. Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for recede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recede
Verb
  • But much of that has subsided now; the Steelers, after all, don’t have a second-round pick and trading up could be out of the question as a result.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2025
  • While immediate inflation concerns have subsided, the current administration's aggressive tariff and immigration policies are creating new economic anxieties that could lead to future instability.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Rather than a gradual strengthening of local capacity as a way of reimagining how the global development industry operates, the Trump administration’s proposals simply withdraw federal support.
    Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • But with so much uncertainty over both macroeconomic conditions and trade policies, many companies have been giving downbeat second-quarter forecasts and have been withdrawing or balking at revising their full-year projections.
    Lisa Kailai Han,Sean Conlon, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Whereas a decline in home values diminishes the equity investors might hold in their properties, which limits their ability to leverage assets for additional investments or refinancing opportunities.
    William Jones, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Meanwhile, a more constrained and domestically focused healthcare agenda is likely to diminish trust in federal health agencies, limit access to culturally competent care and produce a loss of global leadership in health innovation.
    Robert Pearl, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Instead of an opportunity to gawk and marvel, The Silent Twins presents these two sisters — who retreated inside themselves and spoke only to each other for years — with a sense of complete individuality and autonomy.
    Barry Levitt, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The Yankees’ second baseman then threw his helmet before retreating to the clubhouse.
    Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The number of Jesuits globally has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when there were more than 36,000.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
  • As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Rodgers, 41, continues to weigh his options, which include signing with the quarterback-needy Steelers or retiring after 20 NFL seasons.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The 65-year-old pension fund, which counts many of the country’s current and retired academics as clients, has been a big investor in companies with strong climate and human-rights credentials.
    Lara Jakes, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But if the barrier is breached, protection vanishes, and the note’s return moves in tandem with the underlying asset, meaning that the client assumes a 1:1 loss.
    Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The Yorktown vanished about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu, and was rediscovered by a U.S. Navy and National Geographic expedition in 1998.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Rising bond yields Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds typically fall – and their prices rise - as investors flee stocks for the safe haven of Treasuries during economic slowdowns.
    Paul Davidson, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
  • The basic premise of DeSantis’s primary candidacy—that Republicans wanted Trumpism without Trump—fell apart once the former president started hoovering up media attention and gained a wide lead in the polls.
    Drew Nelles, Time, 28 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Recede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recede. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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