receding 1 of 3

adjective

as in retrogressing

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receding

2 of 3

noun

as in hanging

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receding

3 of 3

verb

present participle of recede
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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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 receding
Verb
In August 2025, the remains of a British researcher who vanished in 1959 in Antarctica were discovered amid rocks near a receding glacier on King George Island, located off the Antarctic Peninsula. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 The lake's receding waters are also uncovering ghost towns flooded when the Hoover Dam was built, along with prehistoric salt mines. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 This is a short term arrangement till a more permanent construction is completed in the coming weeks that will manage water flow in the receding river. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026 The Wild West was even then a myth receding into a hazy, heroic past. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Although White River water levels are slowly receding from historic peaks, any additional rain could cause more flooding, the NWS said. — Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 17 Aug. 2026 Fishing boats were stranded ashore, infrastructure was damaged and homes were surrounded by sediment left by receding waters. — Yacob Herin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 In Italy, the receding water in Rome's Tiber River has exposed the remains of the ancient Nero's Bridge, which once connected Rome's city center with the banks of the river, according to The Associated Press. — Npr Staff, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026 With the company-specific data receding, the economic calendar becomes of more interest this week. — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for receding
  1. stopped
  2. hanging
  3. subsiding
  4. retreating
  5. declivity
  6. decreasing
  7. withdrawing
  8. decline
Adjective
  • Three other vehicles with human drivers then appeared to illegally pass the stopped bus.
    — Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The truck crossed into the eastbound lane and crashed into the stopped Kia, striking the three pedestrians, CHP said.
    — Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Feb. 2026
Definition of stopped
Noun
  • Consider nail-free wall hangings, like the ones TilePix and Walgreens are have partnered to produce; simply affix them with magnetic wall pads.
    — Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
  • While each Republican sheep committed a virtual public hanging of the accomplished Fauci, Laura Ingraham smirked each and every time a Republican lambasted him!
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of hanging
Verb
  • Key Background The crisis appeared to be subsiding somewhat Friday as Spanish authorities said a majority of the 60,000 people who crossed into Ceuta from Morocco over the past several days had returned home.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • India, one of the world's most prolific IPO markets, was gearing up for issues worth $50 billion as tension in the Middle East were subsiding.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 9 July 2026
Definition of subsiding
Verb
  • It’s made up of nine river rooms and three junior suites, so staying here feels more like retreating to a private waterside residence than checking into a city stay.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Yet some of retail’s fastest-growing companies are not retreating from physical stores.
    — Ayşe Çetinel, Harvard Business Review, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreating
Noun
  • Even after weeks of drying winds, the crackly leaves worked themselves into every corner and declivity.
    — Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Definition of declivity
Verb
  • The researchers’ models suggest that areas near the escarpment could have lost as much as 8 kilometers of rock, with erosion decreasing farther away from the ancient cliff.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
  • How Perimenopause Affects Bones and Muscle Perimenopause typically begins in a woman’s late 40s or early 50s and lasts about seven years, marked by decreasing estrogen, according to PennState Health.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • The scheme reportedly involved depositing checks from accounts with insufficient funds, then withdrawing the temporarily available money, leaving the banks to absorb the losses once the checks bounced, court records show.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Numerous energy projects end up withdrawing entirely from the process.
    — Ray Fernandez, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of withdrawing
Noun
  • Bullish activity fell sharply, down about 50%, Meng pointed out, compared with a roughly 35% decline for bearish ETFs.
    — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Progressive cognitive decline that interferes with everyday functioning warrants further evaluation.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of decline

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Cite this Entry

“Receding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/receding. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of receding for Spanish Speakers

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