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
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
Not when Kate is receding into the background, like Homer Simpson into his hedge.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
To the south near the San Francisco Bay Area, waters were slowly receding after roadways from Sausalito to San Rafael were flooded during heavy rain that coincided with record-breaking King Tides.
—Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
Not when Kate is receding into the background, like Homer Simpson into his hedge.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
To the south near the San Francisco Bay Area, waters were slowly receding after roadways from Sausalito to San Rafael were flooded during heavy rain that coincided with record-breaking King Tides.
—Dallas Morning News, 4 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
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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
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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
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Even after weeks of drying winds, the crackly leaves worked themselves into every corner and declivity.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The biggest shift in the financial model of newspapers that has occurred in the transition from print to digital is a decreasing reliance on advertising and an increasing reliance on direct payments from subscribers.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The formulation hits all the targets my tired eyes crave—brightening dark circles, decreasing puffiness, and reducing the look of fine lines.—
Cathy Nelson,
InStyle,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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India agreed to draw down its purchases, thereby withdrawing a critical financial lifeline for Russia amid its war against Ukraine.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Investigators said Neves-Valente was a former Brown University student who attended the Ivy League school from 2000 to 2001 as part of a PhD program in physics before formally withdrawing in the fall of 2003.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
9 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
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Axios ran these numbers, and calculated the decline in wages as a share of gross domestic income adding up to $12,000; as in, that’s how much less per year the average American is bringing home as a result of this dynamic.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Pacific Islander students and American Indian students were the only two student groups out of 11 total who saw a decline in this metric in the same period.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Receding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/receding. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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