accede

verb

ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd 

ik-

acceded; acceding

intransitive verb

1

formal

a

: to express approval or give consent : to agree to a request or demand

—usually + to

The government acceded to their demands.

b

: to become a party to something (such as an agreement)

—usually + to

accede to the terms of a contract

2

formal : to enter upon an office or position

—usually + to

He acceded to the throne [=became king] in 1838.

3

archaic, formal : approach

Did you know?

To accede usually means to yield, often under pressure and with some reluctance, to the needs or requests of others. Voters usually accede to a tax increase only when they're convinced it's the only real solution to a shortfall in government funding. A patient may accede to surgery only after the doctor assures him it's better than the alternatives. If you accede to your spouse's plea to watch the new reality show at 9:00, you may get to choose something better at 10:00.

Synonyms

• acquiesce
• agree
• assent
• come round
• consent
• subscribe

Choose the Right Synonym for accede

assent, consent, accede, acquiesce, agree, subscribe mean to concur with what has been proposed.

assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

Examples of accede in a Sentence

His son acceded upon the king's death.

finally acceded to their pleas for more time to complete the project

Recent Examples on the Web

Lawmakers from Trump’s party have acceded to his demands to unilaterally cut spending and fire government watchdogs without proper notice. —Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025

Initially, Yamal was not feeling in the mood to go and speak to broadcasters, but eventually acceded after a chat with the club’s press officers. —Pol Ballús, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025

If the United States seems mercurial or untrustworthy, China may come to dominate the region—not by military conquest, but as a result of calculations by those who conclude there is no practical alternative to acceding to its wishes. —Jonathan Kirshner, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2025

Some of them can draw from experience dealing with the first Trump administration: Mexico’s populist president at the time, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, forged a warm relationship with Mr. Trump, and Mexico avoided steep tariffs while acceding to demands to curb migration. —Simon Romero, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acceden "to come near, become adapted to," borrowed from Latin accēdere "to draw near, approach, side (with), be added (to)," from ad- ad- + cēdere "to go away, yield" — more at cede

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing accede

• accede to the throne

Rhymes for accede

• agreed
• airspeed
• alkyd
• bindweed
• chickweed
• concede
• decreed
• duckweed
• exceed
• flaxseed
• impede
• indeed

Kids Definition

accede

verb

ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd 

ik-

acceded; acceding

1

: to give consent : agree

accede to a proposed plan

2

formal : to enter upon an office or position

acceded to the throne in 1838

Legal Definition

accede

intransitive verb

ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd, ik- 

acceded; acceding

1

a

: to become a party (as to an agreement) by associating oneself with others

they were invited to accede to the covenant

b

: to express approval or give consent

the banker asks for collateral. The debtor…accedes, and transfers some of his property

—In re Patterson, 139 F. Supp. 830 (1956)

2

: to assume an office or position

acceded to the governorship

3

a

: to become added by way of growth, increase, improvement, or labor

the various improvements…had acceded to the realty and had become “fixtures”

—Graham v. Henderson, 608 S.W.2d 150 (1980)

b

: to come into control or ownership of something

a trustee in bankruptcy specifically accedes to all property of the debtor

—Directory Int'l, Inc. v. Bates Mfg. Co., 91 B.R. 738 (1988)