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cede

verb
\ ˈsēd How to pronounce cede (audio) \
ceded; ceding

Definition of cede

transitive verb

1 : to yield or grant typically by treaty Russia ceded Alaska to the U.S. in 1867.
2 : assign, transfer ceded his stock holdings to his children
Other Words from cede Synonyms Do you cede or seed control? Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about cede

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Other Words from cede

ceder noun

Do you cede or seed control?

Cede means "to yield or grant typically by treaty." Most of the verb senses of seed are concerned with planting seeds (either literal, as of plants, or figuratively, as of ideas). However, the word may also be used to mean "to schedule (tournament players or teams) so that superior ones will not meet in early rounds." If you relinquish or yield something you are ceding it, and if you are organizing the participants in a tournament you are seeding them.

Did You Know?

Cede is often a formal term used in discussing territory and rights, but is also used less formally. So, for example, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the U.S. in 1898, following the Spanish-American War, and the U.S. ceded control of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999. Critics warn that we are ceding leadership in alternative-energy technology to China. Citizens of one European country or another are always worrying that their own country is ceding too much power to the European Union. A tennis player doesn't have any choice when she cedes her no. 1 ranking to a rival.

Examples of cede in a Sentence

Russia ceded Alaska to the U.S. in 1867. she reluctantly ceded her position as leader

Recent Examples on the Web

 This loss means that Osaka will cede that top spot to No. — Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, "Rafael Nadal tops Marin Cilic at US Open; top women’s seed Naomi Osaka is ousted," 3 Sep. 2019 There’s little indication that either Russian or Chinese authorities will cede much ground to the protesters. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "The protesters of Hong Kong and Moscow aren’t backing down," 12 Aug. 2019 Some Republicans also fear that another war in the Middle East would be a terrible mistake, and there's bipartisan concern that Congress has ceded too much of its war powers to the president in recent years. — Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY, "House approves measure to block Trump from launching military strike against Iran," 21 June 2019 Many have warned that a premature U.S. withdrawal from Syria would cede the country to Iran and Russia, which have supported Syrian President Bashar Assad. — Andrew O'reilly, Fox News, "White House: US mission in Syria coming to 'rapid end'," 2 Oct. 2018 Critics say the plan would cede state oversight of the power grid to industry insiders and federal regulators who are overly friendly to utilities. — Jeff Mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Plan for 14-state power grid faces key Senate hearing on Tuesday," 15 June 2018 The team went into a more cautious 4-2-3-1 that ceded possession to the opponent and looked to strike quickly on the counterattack. — Mark Goodman, The Denver Post, "Backpass: Examining the Rapids’ tactics against the Timbers, including a possible new look," 19 July 2019 In his first season at center, Skura struggled at times with facets both physical (ceding ground to stronger defensive tackles) and technical (poor shotgun and pistol snaps to Lamar Jackson). — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens 2019 training camp preview: Offensive line," 19 July 2019 Then in the second, a kickoff out of bounds gave the Tigers a short field for a quick six-play drive that ceded the only lead Alabama held that evening. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al.com, "What Alabama football should fix in 2019," 11 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cede.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of cede

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for cede

borrowed from French or Latin; French céder, borrowed from Latin cēdere "to go, move away, withdraw, yield," perhaps, if derived from an originally transitive meaning "drive away," akin to Sanskrit sedhati "(she/he) chases away," Avestan siiazdat "will chase away"

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More Definitions for cede

cede

verb
How to pronounce cede (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of cede

formal : to give control of (something) to another person, group, government, etc.

See the full definition for cede in the English Language Learners Dictionary

cede

verb
\ ˈsēd How to pronounce cede (audio) \
ceded; ceding

Kids Definition of cede

: to give up especially by treaty The land was ceded to another country.

cede

transitive verb
\ ˈsēd How to pronounce cede (audio) \
ceded; ceding

Legal Definition of cede

1 : to yield or grant usually by treaty
2 : assign, transfer
3 : to transfer (all or part of one's liability as an insurer under an insurance policy) by reinsurance to another insurer

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