ceding

verb

present participle of cede
1
as in relinquishing
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 transferring
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 abdicating
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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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 ceding While Iran's infrastructure is heavily damaged, its leadership shows no interest in ceding control of the strait or meeting broader US demands. — Michael P. Dempsey, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Before a calf injury hit in Week 4, Hubbard was already ceding work to Rico Dowdle and approaching a 50/50 split. — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026 Democrats, on the other hand, have lacked the leadership and political power to deliver solutions, effectively ceding the issue to their political rivals. — Ken Salazar, Time, 20 July 2026 This was groundbreaking stuff—a vision that ceding all of one’s personal data to Google would really feel worth it. — Claire Stapleton, New Yorker, 18 July 2026 Ultimately, Beijing is most constrained by its own fear of ceding control over capital resources. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 July 2026 Then again, Cal Raleigh won last year, beating Caminero despite ceding four ticks of bat speed and maximum exit velocity to him. — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 13 July 2026 When the Spanish settlers decamped for Cuba in 1763 after ceding Florida to the English, the few surviving Tequesta, their numbers decimated by 200 years of captivity and slavery, conflict and ill treatment, are believed to have departed with them. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 As Jimmy is looking for options to simultaneously cut costs and jettison the property entirely, Sydney is trying to figure out how to do a dinner service with a pantry that’s nearly empty and a former mentor/partner/colleague, in Carmy, who is very bad at actually ceding control. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
  1. relinquishing
  2. transferring
  3. abdicating
  4. surrendering
  5. assigning
  6. resigning
  7. rendering
  8. bequeathing
Verb
  • For Harrison, the collaboration also meant relinquishing some control.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 22 July 2026
  • Clearly, the Flyers are comfortable with relinquishing first-round picks in their next four drafts as there is more value in having a true 1C in Carlsson.
    — Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of relinquishing
Verb
  • Rather than transferring the whiskeys into entirely different finishing barrels, toasted pieces of American and French oak are placed into their existing barrels, allowing the whiskey to extract additional flavors from the wood.
    — Emily Price, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • There’s even a tire failure-detection system that helps stabilize the car by transferring torque across the remaining wheels in milliseconds.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 July 2026
Definition of transferring
Verb
  • They’d be upset about Article One of the Constitution, the legislative branch abdicating its powers; that is, the people’s power to wage war and to levy tariffs.
    — KEN BURNS, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
  • Dinello was right, and The Late Show eventually became late night’s ratings leader—a throne that CBS is now voluntarily abdicating.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Definition of abdicating
Verb
  • San Jose had just earned its first win at Portland since 2011, extending its best start in club history, while Orlando came in after surrendering six goals in its previous league match.
    — Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
  • The agency extends its reach without surrendering control — the condition on which any serious government adoption depends.
    — Derek Williams, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of surrendering
Verb
  • But because researchers observed eating habits rather than assigning diets, the study could not prove the MIND diet itself prevented decline.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2026
  • While a boss may focus on assigning tasks, meeting deadlines and hitting performance goals, leaders think beyond their to-do lists.
    — Alyshia Hull, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of assigning
Verb
  • Rippey agreed to go to rehab, ultimately resigning from her position with City Hall and ending things with Newsom.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 28 July 2026
  • The Labour government has seen a decrease in popularity among the British public, cemented by huge losses at the local polls in May—the fallout of which ultimately led to Starmer resigning as Prime Minister.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 17 July 2026
Definition of resigning
Verb
  • Simultaneously rendering the past less remote while relishing its radical foreignness, Beard presses readers to grapple with alien ideas, reckon with gaps in their knowledge, and confront complexity.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • New state-level AI laws face significant enforcement challenges, rendering many ineffective.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of rendering
Verb
  • William inherited the piece after her death in 1997, eventually bequeathing it to his wife.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 17 June 2026
  • The Cubs bequeathing the dubious distinction of the sport’s longest title drought to Cleveland.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Definition of bequeathing

Browse Nearby Words

cede (to)
ceding
ceding (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Ceding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ceding. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ceding

Nglish: Translation of ceding for Spanish Speakers

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