What does “cede” mean?
- 1
verbto give up land, power or rights to someone else, usually unwillingly
After the war, the country was forced to cede territory to its neighbor.
Cede at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /sid/ · SEED
How to use “cede” correctly
A formal word common in history and politics. It usually takes “to”: cede something to someone.
Common phrases with “cede”
- cede control
- cede territory
- cede power to
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- surrender
- yield
- relinquish
Word family
- cession
“cede” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- accede verbC2to agree to a request or demand, often after first refusing
- appease verbC2to calm someone by giving them what they want
- arbitrate verbC2to officially judge a disagreement between two sides as a neutral person
- besiege verbC2to surround a place with an army to force it to surrender
- capitulate verbC2to stop resisting and accept the demands of an opponent
- consecrate verbC2to officially make a place or object holy in a religious ceremony
- depose verbC2to remove a ruler or leader from power, often by force
- deprave verbC2to make someone morally bad or evil