RECEDES Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

recedes

verb

present tense third-person singular of recede

as in subsides

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the sound of sirens receded as the fire engines roared off into the distance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in withdraws

to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) after the rain stops, the floodwaters should gradually recede

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 recedes When global liquidity recedes, investors punish countries running both budget and current‑account deficits — and Indonesia has twin gaps. —

William Pesek, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 So far, Arens has been surprised by how quickly native vegetation resumes life as the water recedes, in some places as soon as two or three years. —

Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026 The dark hue recedes, letting your eyes focus on the scenery outside. —

Gary Thompson, Midwest Living, 5 June 2026 By Gallup’s measure, acceptance of LGBTQ people – at an all-time high four years ago – has fallen every year since as public approval of LGBTQ+ legal protections recedes and transgender rights become a culture-war flashpoint. —

Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 1 June 2026 But when the processions disperse, the city returns to its usual arrangements and the permission recedes with the crowd. —

Vogue, 1 June 2026 Once your tsukemen appears — terrifically chewy noodles built to catch every drop of the accompanying half-broth, half-gravy, as heady as drippings scraped from a roasting pan — the world recedes. —

Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026 Finally, Earth recedes again from the camera. —

Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 11 May 2026 When justice recedes, revenge rears its bloodstained head. —

Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recedes

Verb

After the laughter ringing through the room subsides, though, Abela does allow for a moment of reverence — for the HBO drama if not for the disreputable people who populate it.

— Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Then the climax subsides for a lovely coda of strings, accompanied by a denouement in which the now casually clad, contemporary-looking singer smashes up her play set in the apartment where she’s presumably been brooding over all this stuff.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 22 May 2026