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
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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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Recent Examples of ceding
Scientists fear the moves will collapse broad investment in fundamental research and talent development, replacing it with a narrow focus on AI, while potentially ceding American scientific dominance to global competitors.
—
National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
For the next 5 minutes, 29 seconds, Dallas set up shop in the Wild zone and never left, cycling through four line changes without ceding the puck.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
After ceding 31 second-quarter points, the Knicks held the Hawks to just 19 in the third.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
The chipmaker is in the midst of a multiyear effort to restore its technological leadership after years of ceding market share to rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
While ad revenue is on the upswing for streaming outlets like Paramount+ and Pluto, the company’s longstanding TV networks have been ceding precious ad dollars to other venues.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Members of his cabinet swallowed their apprehension, ceding to their boss’s confidence, the Times reported.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
As Big Tech companies face legal backlash for addictive features and potential mental health risk, parents are ceding responsibility for what happens inside the home.
—Maggie Anders, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
But others can ask to maintain more creative control if interested, rather than the traditional practice of ceding it to the industry.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
For the next 5 minutes, 29 seconds, Dallas set up shop in the Wild zone and never left, cycling through four line changes without ceding the puck.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
After ceding 31 second-quarter points, the Knicks held the Hawks to just 19 in the third.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
The chipmaker is in the midst of a multiyear effort to restore its technological leadership after years of ceding market share to rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
While ad revenue is on the upswing for streaming outlets like Paramount+ and Pluto, the company’s longstanding TV networks have been ceding precious ad dollars to other venues.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Members of his cabinet swallowed their apprehension, ceding to their boss’s confidence, the Times reported.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
As Big Tech companies face legal backlash for addictive features and potential mental health risk, parents are ceding responsibility for what happens inside the home.
—Maggie Anders, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
But others can ask to maintain more creative control if interested, rather than the traditional practice of ceding it to the industry.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ceding
Verb
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While that new detail is likely to please debt holders, who had proposed that current shareholders inject 8 billion reais, the company rejected other changes sought by creditors, including relinquishing control of the board.—
Rachel Gamarski,
Bloomberg,
26 Apr. 2026
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Tarrant County commissioners unanimously decided on Tuesday to put about a quarter mile of road up for sale in hopes of relinquishing control over the stretch.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tibbetts went to high school at Jefferson before transferring to a school in Sioux Falls as a junior.—
Annie Costabile,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Before transferring to Texas A&M, Onyedim was a teammate of Denver’s Eyioma Uwazurike at Iowa State.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Democratic leaders have accused Congress of abdicating its constitutional role, and some members plan to boycott the address or attend in silent protest.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The mall, one of Chicago’s largest, fell on hard times after getting hit by the rise of online retail and then the pandemic, losing its top retailer, Macy’s, in 2021, followed by the owner surrendering control of the property in 2022.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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The defensive effort got Cameron out of the fifth inning without surrendering a run.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Andy begins assigning tough features about meaningful topics outside of which accessories go best with your spring wardrobe, none of which hit with Runway readers.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
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More faculty are requiring office hours, assigning presentations and cold-calling on students in class.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Now, with another Chancellor resigning, the Board of Regents must stop asking frontline educators at Charter Oak to accept below-minimum-wage compensation while executive instability continues to consume public and student dollars.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
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Three months after resigning, Anne’s nonprofit TTAM Research Institute purchased 23andMe’s assets for $305 million in July 2025, and the company is reinventing itself as a nonprofit medical research organization rather than a genetic testing kit company.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Officers arrived to find three vehicles involved — each with a single driver — and began rendering aid alongside firefighters and paramedics, per the release.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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In a position such as lieutenant governor, where much of the office’s duties involve being only one of multi-member boards, radical positions tend to be largely drowned out by the majority, rendering the office even less effective.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Rewriting society’s decision-making Unlike biased pundits who hem, haw and hedge their bets, Web3 prediction markets cut through noise, bequeathing a signal that feeds into pricing mechanisms themselves.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ceding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ceding. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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