1
as in to relinquish
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 to assign
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 to abdicate
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 cede
Trump has appeared to embrace Russia's claim that Ukraine must cede territory to Russia in order for the war to stop.
—
Jason Lange, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
With Trump adopting Russian points that Ukraine should cede land for a peace deal, Zelenskyy and the Europeans talked up the American commitment to participate alongside European allies in providing unspecified security guarantees for any peace deal with Putin.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
The Trump administration said the Russians may support Ukraine signing a future security deal with the U.S. and European allies—but even with the security guarantees, convincing the Ukrainians to cede territory could prove difficult for the Trump administration.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Zelenskyy has said Kyiv will not cede any territory to Russia, will not abandon its NATO ambitions and will not allow any limitations on its armed forces.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cede
Jason Lange, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
With Trump adopting Russian points that Ukraine should cede land for a peace deal, Zelenskyy and the Europeans talked up the American commitment to participate alongside European allies in providing unspecified security guarantees for any peace deal with Putin.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
The Trump administration said the Russians may support Ukraine signing a future security deal with the U.S. and European allies—but even with the security guarantees, convincing the Ukrainians to cede territory could prove difficult for the Trump administration.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Zelenskyy has said Kyiv will not cede any territory to Russia, will not abandon its NATO ambitions and will not allow any limitations on its armed forces.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cede
Verb
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Jones is not relinquishing his strong negotiating position Jones and Parsons would meet in March to discuss the linebacker’s role on the team going forward.—
Steve Silverman,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
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While a strong federal government may be central to the Democratic Party's identity, maintaining that objective likely requires relinquishing control from the capital and encouraging state politicos to explore new ways to achieve success.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Each person can claim two tickets and seat locations are randomly assigned, not based on your position in line.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
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In 1960, her second year as a guest columnist, Gibson was assigned a rookie reporter, Richard Evans.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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So far, however, Trump’s allies in Congress have almost wholly abdicated this role, and although lower courts have issued injunctions against some of the administration’s actions and policies, the Supreme Court has repeatedly found ways to expand executive power.—
MICHAEL JOHNSTON,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Aug. 2025
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However, don’t bypass all the details and abdicate your leadership. 4.—
Anne Sugar,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
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The Formally surrenders Crossword Clue Answer is... Answer: CEDES For more on USA TODAY's Crossword Puzzles This crossword clue page was generated automatically using information from puzzles.usatoday.com.—
Sally Hoelscher,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
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Once Noriega surrendered and no longer posed a threat to U.S. interests in the Canal Zone, the U.S. military turned him over to federal agents.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Berger notes that, under the rule, a student’s ability to transfer to a new school in the first year of a program or to another graduation program will become limited.—
Stuart Anderson,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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When in a group, space out to prevent the current from transferring between individuals.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When Sasse abruptly resigned as president last July, citing his wife’s health issues, the majority of his cabinet staff – including Schwinn – were not reappointed, the Florida Independent Alligator reported.—
Vivian Jones,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
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Guede became the second Mexican head coach on the sidelines after Gonzalo Pineda resigned from Atlas earlier this month.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The gauzy, dark concerts from (famously) Nirvana, Sinéad O’Connor, and Alicia Keys render the operatic intimate, and highlight good tunes in a way stadium polish just can’t.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
22 Aug. 2025
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The no-confidence motion is rendered void, and Dalton is reinstated as PM.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Bad Logic Your prompts may not convey the full picture—and AI loves to take shortcuts.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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But islanders say the videos can't convey the enormous complexities of the challenges their communities face.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cede. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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