as in retrogressing
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1
as in subsiding
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the sound of sirens receded as the fire engines roared off into the distance
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2
as in retreating
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
after the rain stops, the floodwaters should gradually recede
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Recent Examples of receding
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Unlike the postwar era, however, the current debt load shows no signs of receding; the report projects debt will reach a staggering 175% of GDP by 2056.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
These include loss of height, back pain, receding gums, and weak or brittle nails.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
So a galaxy that’s, say, 10 megaparsecs away from us is receding at about 700 km/sec.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026
Male pattern hair loss usually begins with a receding hair line or a bald spot growing on the crown of your head, per the American Academy of Dermatology.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
With that risk receding, investors can refocus on corporate earnings and economic fundamentals rather than political interference at the central bank.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Outside, the world flashes by, a slideshow of rivers growing into oceans, deserts rising into mountains and cities sprawling then receding into darkness as the train thunders on through the night.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
Other extant primates typically have receding lower jaws, without a distinct protrusion.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
No, not the motion picture academy screening populated by Oscar voters with receding hairlines.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Unlike the postwar era, however, the current debt load shows no signs of receding; the report projects debt will reach a staggering 175% of GDP by 2056.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
These include loss of height, back pain, receding gums, and weak or brittle nails.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
So a galaxy that’s, say, 10 megaparsecs away from us is receding at about 700 km/sec.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026
Male pattern hair loss usually begins with a receding hair line or a bald spot growing on the crown of your head, per the American Academy of Dermatology.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
With that risk receding, investors can refocus on corporate earnings and economic fundamentals rather than political interference at the central bank.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Outside, the world flashes by, a slideshow of rivers growing into oceans, deserts rising into mountains and cities sprawling then receding into darkness as the train thunders on through the night.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
Other extant primates typically have receding lower jaws, without a distinct protrusion.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for receding
Noun
-
In a major change from the book, the period drama opens at a debauched public hanging, where a young Catherine Earnshaw (Charlotte Mellington) looks on as a man dangles from a noose.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The scene in question is a hanging.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Though snowy conditions are subsiding, the impacts of the storm will linger in the coming days—especially as many regions that saw snowfall are beginning the week with single-digit temperatures.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Sausalito crews set up a 4-inch pump near Gate 5 Road in the city’s northernmost neighborhood, where the grounds have been subsiding.—
Steven Rosenfeld,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement The ability to sit face to face, to listen as much as to argue, to disagree without retreating into caricature is a prerequisite for meaningful action.—
Alan H.H. Fleischmann,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Defeat at Fort Necessity Washington then made the fateful decision to dig in and call for reinforcements instead of retreating in the face of inevitable French retaliation.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Even after weeks of drying winds, the crackly leaves worked themselves into every corner and declivity.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The bill prohibits cities and counties from decreasing funding for public safety, which representatives from the local governments say isn’t possible.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The goal is to minimize traffic spillover onto surrounding streets while providing more reliable travel times for people in cars and freight trucks and decreasing travel times for buses.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the wake of the Pretti shooting by Border Patrol agents, Homan announced last week that 700 immigration enforcement officials would start withdrawing from Minnesota.—
Julia Manchester,
The Hill,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The men allegedly cased banks to prey on people who were withdrawing or depositing money at banks, according to the release.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
One clip appears to show a Waymo vehicle stopped while other vehicles illegally pass a stopped bus.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
-
That's when a 51-year-old woman driving a Tesla south on Highway 85 struck the Focus, causing both cars to spin and crash into a stopped semi-truck.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The fiscal angst is most obvious in urban school districts, where enrollment declines are most severe and where unions are the strongest, often spending heavily to elect friendly school board members.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Various projections have predicted a long-term decline of Wisconsin's population.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Receding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/receding. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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