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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ceding
Even some on the council who sided with Lee have expressed wariness about ceding much of their own power to the mayor.
—
Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
Carmine ultimately drops out of the race, ceding to Johnny Sac, but remains a key figure and even plays intermediary for New York and Jersey on multiple occasions.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
But are Democrats in some ways ceding a moral high ground?
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
The point of the Montrose Grocer is ceding control to someone who knows their cellar.
—Carrie Honaker, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 June 2026
As protests raged outside banks, leading pundits and politicians suggested ceding power to the President to restore order.
—Sarita Gupta, Time, 2 June 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory occupied by Russian forces and has said Ukrainian sovereignty of Crimea must be restored.
—CNN Money, 1 June 2026
The film is expected to do big business, but another new release may split the audience, ceding way for another Backrooms victory.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 May 2026
There wasn’t even enough time for a true Valve or Nintendo competitor to emerge — no other manufacturer ever meaningfully challenged them on price, ceding the market accordingly.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 28 May 2026
Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
Carmine ultimately drops out of the race, ceding to Johnny Sac, but remains a key figure and even plays intermediary for New York and Jersey on multiple occasions.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
But are Democrats in some ways ceding a moral high ground?
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
The point of the Montrose Grocer is ceding control to someone who knows their cellar.
—Carrie Honaker, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 June 2026
As protests raged outside banks, leading pundits and politicians suggested ceding power to the President to restore order.
—Sarita Gupta, Time, 2 June 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory occupied by Russian forces and has said Ukrainian sovereignty of Crimea must be restored.
—CNN Money, 1 June 2026
The film is expected to do big business, but another new release may split the audience, ceding way for another Backrooms victory.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 May 2026
There wasn’t even enough time for a true Valve or Nintendo competitor to emerge — no other manufacturer ever meaningfully challenged them on price, ceding the market accordingly.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
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Loth promptly went out and took care of business, taking the lead early before briefly relinquishing it, then pulling away down the stretch.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2026
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Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control.—
Jacques Ledbetter,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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When in a group, space out to prevent the current from transferring between individuals.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
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Georgia will be losing multiple key players this offseason such as Daniel Jackson, Tre Phelps, Kolby Branch and Joey Volchko to the MLB Draft and is expected to have some players transferring out.—
Hunter DeLauder,
AJC.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Negotiators were able to contact O'Brien via phone, eventually leading to his surrendering himself.—
Reg Chapman,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
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The 49ers did it in March, surrendering a third-round draft pick to the Dallas Cowboys, who had a surplus of starting defensive tackles after last season’s trades for Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Verb
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In comparison, this effect was roughly half to three quarters as large as that of assigning a student to a class with seven fewer students per teacher.—
Supreet Kaur,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
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Kevin Carter / Getty Images Reports also allege that the district requires teachers to consider race when assigning classes and to provide differing levels of academic support based on race.—
Gabriela Vidal,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Rangers were seriously interested in resigning him.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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Kanin is resigning, effective June 11, and fiduciary Jodi Pais Montgomery will take over managing the trust.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Still, Lamont resists rendering a verdict.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
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Then Google came and changed the rules, rendering older SEO tactics obsolete.—
Kurt Allen,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The Cubs bequeathing the dubious distinction of the sport’s longest title drought to Cleveland.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Effectively, Newsom’s slow roll protects him from taking any meaningful actions, thus bequeathing reparations to his successor, like his many other unresolved California issues.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ceding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ceding. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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