Standard Lemma guide

cede

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /siːd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːd
  • homophone: sede
  • homophone: seed
  • CMU ARPABET: S IY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To give up; yield to another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Edward decided to cede the province.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To give up; yield to another.

Same as above.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ditransitive, transitive

Examples

  • After figuring out the seating arrangement and ceding him the window seat, I took my own seat by the aisle.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: above

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To give way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

relinquish possession or control over

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The squatters had to surrender the building after the police moved in

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: surrender, deliver, give up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: give, gift, present

Narrower terms: yield up, sell, sign away, sign over

5

verb

Meaning 5

give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: concede, yield, grant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: give

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French ceder, from Old French ceder, from Latin cēdō (“to yield”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱyesdh- (“to drive away; to go away”). Cognate with Tocharian B kätk- (“to cross, pass”).

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: dorëzohem — give up
  • Armenian: զիջել (ziǰel) — give up
  • Belarusian: уступа́ць (ustupácʹ) — give up
  • Belarusian: уступі́ць (ustupícʹ) — give up
  • Bulgarian: отстъ́пвам (otstǎ́pvam) — give up
  • Bulgarian: отстъ́пя (otstǎ́pja) — give up
  • Bulgarian: отка́звам се (otkázvam se) — give up
  • Bulgarian: отка́жа се (otkáža se) — give up
  • Chinese Mandarin: 放弃 (fàngqì) — give up
  • Czech: postupovat — give up
  • Czech: postoupit — give up
  • Dutch: aftreden — give up
  • Dutch: uit de weg gaan — give up
  • Dutch: opgeven — give up
  • Esperanto: cedi — give up
  • Finnish: luovuttaa — give up
  • French: céder — give up
  • German: abtreten — give up
  • German: zedieren — give up
  • German: überlassen — give up
  • Ido: cedar — give up
  • Italian: cedere — give up
  • Japanese: 譲渡する (jōto suru) — give up
  • Korean: 양도하다 (yangdohada) — give up
  • Macedonian: о́тстапи (ótstapi) — give up
  • Macedonian: отста́пува (otstápuva) — give up
  • Macedonian: се о́ткаже (se ótkaže) — give up
  • Macedonian: се отка́жува (se otkážuva) — give up
  • Māori: tuku — give up
  • Norwegian Bokmål: avstå — give up
  • Polish: cedować — give up
  • Polish: scedować — give up
  • Portuguese: ceder — give up
  • Romanian: ceda — give up
  • Russian: уступа́ть (ustupátʹ) — give up
  • Russian: уступи́ть (ustupítʹ) — give up
  • Russian: отка́зываться (otkázyvatʹsja) — give up
  • Russian: отказа́ться (otkazátʹsja) — give up
  • Serbo-Croatian: оду̀стати — give up
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̀стукнути — give up
  • Serbo-Croatian: odùstati — give up
  • Serbo-Croatian: ùstuknuti — give up
  • Slovak: postúpiť — give up
  • Spanish: ceder — give up
  • Ukrainian: уступа́ти (ustupáty) — give up
  • Ukrainian: уступи́ти (ustupýty) — give up
  • German: nachgeben — to yield to pressure, to collapse or fail under a load
  • Māori: tautuku — to yield to pressure, to collapse or fail under a load
  • Spanish: ceder — to yield to pressure, to collapse or fail under a load