recede
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to go or move away; retreat; go to or toward a more distant point; withdraw.
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to become more distant.
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(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.
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to slope backward.
a chin that recedes.
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to draw back or withdraw from a conclusion, viewpoint, undertaking, promise, etc.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to withdraw from a point or limit; go back
the tide receded
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to become more distant
hopes of rescue receded
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to slope backwards
apes have receding foreheads
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(of a man's hair) to cease to grow at the temples and above the forehead
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(of a man) to start to go bald in this way
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to decline in value or character
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(usually foll by from) to draw back or retreat, as from a promise
Etymology
Origin of recede1
First recorded in 1470–80; from Latin recēdere “to go back, fall back”; equivalent to re- + cede
Origin of recede2
Explanation
Recede means to pull back, retreat, or become faint or distant. Flood waters recede, as do glaciers, and even abstractions like "panic" and "hope." Think "receding hairline." (That means bald.) Cede means "to yield." Politicians, after losing an election will "cede the field" or "concede the race." Recede means to yield back. Over time, this word has taken on the sense of fading or growing faint, as in "The ghostly vision of a woman receded into the fog."
Vocabulary lists containing recede
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Hatchet
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List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Economists and industry analysts say that even after oil starts flowing again from the Middle East, it could take a while for the Iran war’s effects on consumer prices to recede.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Dentine is the softer layer beneath enamel, and it can become exposed when enamel wears away or gums recede.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
A surge in U.S. inflation to a three-year high has begun to recede, but life isn’t going to get more affordable for Americans anytime soon.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
As headlines on Iran recede, traders will be forced to trade oil based on fundamental supply and demand again, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
I waited for the flap-flap-flap of Laleh’s bare feet on the hallway floor to recede.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
He also told the BBC that many people had already fled into the hills because the sea had also receded.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
While the cliff at the back of the hall has "barely receded", Brown said it was important to act before it was too late.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The Cold War has receded as a living memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Asian stock markets surged and oil prices receded on Friday, boosted by optimism that the United States and Iran will reach a deal to end their war that has hobbled global energy supplies.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
As hunger and thirst slowly receded, exhaustion finally loosened the grip of dread that had held me rigid all day.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
While heavy rain continued to fall early Monday evening, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon told a news conference that floodwaters were receding.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
After mid-August there are signs of high pressure receding for a time, allowing Atlantic low pressure and frontal systems closer to the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I chose two: one ridged and heavy, its skin receding from burgundy into a deep, almost plum color; the other a cheerful red beefsteak.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Deep green hills covered in dense trees rise in the background, receding into the far distance — representing the many ways that wild land seems to thrive in this vast urban space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
The color scheme conspired with the darkness to make the room seem larger than it truly was, the walls receding into the edges of my vision.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
