recede

1
[ ri-seed ]
See synonyms for: recederecededrecedesreceding on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),re·ced·ed, re·ced·ing.
  1. to go or move away; retreat; go to or toward a more distant point; withdraw.

  2. to become more distant.

  1. (of a color, form, etc., on a flat surface) to move away or be perceived as moving away from an observer, especially as giving the illusion of space.: Compare advance (def. 15).

  2. to slope backward: a chin that recedes.

  3. to draw back or withdraw from a conclusion, viewpoint, undertaking, promise, etc.

Origin of recede

1
First recorded in1470–80; from Latin recēdere “to go back, fall back”; equivalent to re- + cede

Other words for recede

Words that may be confused with recede

Words Nearby recede

Other definitions for recede (2 of 2)

recede2
[ ree-seed ]

verb (used with object),re·ced·ed, re·ced·ing.
  1. to cede back; yield or grant to a former possessor.

Origin of recede

2
First recorded in 1765–75; re- + cede

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use recede in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for recede (1 of 2)

recede

/ (rɪˈsiːd) /


verb(intr)
  1. to withdraw from a point or limit; go back: the tide receded

  2. to become more distant: hopes of rescue receded

  1. to slope backwards: apes have receding foreheads

    • (of a man's hair) to cease to grow at the temples and above the forehead

    • (of a man) to start to go bald in this way

  2. to decline in value or character

  3. (usually foll by from) to draw back or retreat, as from a promise

Origin of recede

1
C15: from Latin recēdere to go back, from re- + cēdere to yield, cede

British Dictionary definitions for re-cede (2 of 2)

re-cede

/ (riːˈsiːd) /


verb
  1. (tr) to restore to a former owner

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012