1
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
she reluctantly ceded her position as leader
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2
as in to assign
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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3
as in to abdicate
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cede
The reality of the military situation suggests that the Donbas will be ceded to Moscow, as will the coastal strip in the south that links Crimea to Russia.
—
Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The government ceded ground and offered to take prison time off the table.
—Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Trump then postponed his deadline amid what the White House described as diplomatic progress—a face-saving maneuver that former Defense Secretary James Mattis warned could ultimately cede the strait to Tehran’s influence.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Mother Windsor, site of the first English settlement that eventually ceded away the land that became more than a dozen other towns, reminded us a mother still lays claim to essential wisdom.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cede
Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The government ceded ground and offered to take prison time off the table.
—Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Trump then postponed his deadline amid what the White House described as diplomatic progress—a face-saving maneuver that former Defense Secretary James Mattis warned could ultimately cede the strait to Tehran’s influence.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Mother Windsor, site of the first English settlement that eventually ceded away the land that became more than a dozen other towns, reminded us a mother still lays claim to essential wisdom.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cede
Verb
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If the pair are Shea’s biological parents, Score and Mills would like to learn more about them — but not necessarily relinquish custody of Shea, Hatfield said.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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In their eyes, the global economy is to blame for their unsatisfactory job prospects, feminism is to blame for their failures with women, minority rights are forcing them to relinquish their privilege as straight men, and so on.—
Miriam Eve Mora,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The judge assigned to Amin’s case was Iman Afshari, known in Tehran for his tough sentences—a reputation that led the European Union to place him on a blacklist, in January, for human-rights abuses.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Griffis analyzed 34 removal cases assigned to him.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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RadarOnline reported that the King is planning to abdicate soon.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
27 Mar. 2026
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In its most hostile version, the same qualities are recast as evidence of his succumbing to spectacle and abdicating basic architectural responsibility.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Many of those animals are surrendered when their owners can no longer properly care for them, an issue that Alessandro Catenazzi, associate professor of biological science at Florida International University, stressed.—
Julian Camejo,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
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Lukáš Dostál surrendered six goals on 29 shots, with culpability to spread around between him and his defense.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stricter rules were imposed on documentation required for sponsors, border agents started pressuring unaccompanied children to self-deport before transferring them to shelters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement started arresting some sponsors in the middle of the release process.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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At safety, Panthers fans surely shed a tear when true-freshman star Jessiah McGrew transferred to Arizona State.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sinagra said that Brooksby resigned as a consequence of the complaints, but disagreed with them.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Recently, Joe Kent, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned earlier this month in opposition to the war, went on Tucker Carlson’s show.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gulf nations are highly reliant on desalination for fresh water, and damage to the region’s hundreds of plants could render its major cities unlivable, The Associated Press reported; attacks by any side could constitute war crimes.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The fresh precipitation had rendered the thin roads above Lake Tahoe almost indistinguishable from the frosted forests around them.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But how to convey that character on screen?—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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One was topped with tender steak tartare, while another conveyed a briny white anchovy on a smear of aioli.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cede. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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