accede
Americanverb (used without object)
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to give consent, approval, or adherence; agree; assent; to accede to a request; to accede to the terms of a contract.
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to attain or assume an office, title, or dignity; succeed (usually followed byto ).
to accede to the throne.
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International Law. to become a party to an agreement, treaty, or the like, by way of accession.
verb
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to assent or give one's consent; agree
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to enter upon or attain (to an office, right, etc)
the prince acceded to the throne
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international law to become a party (to an agreement between nations, etc), as by signing a treaty
Synonym Usage
See agree.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accede
1400–50; late Middle English: to approach, adapt to < Latin accēdere to approach, assent, equivalent to ac- ac- + cēdere to go; see cede
Explanation
If you accede, it means you agree with someone or give in to his or her wish. The word is often used in a political context — the Queen acceded to the Prince's demands for more territory, a larger army, and funnier jesters. Accede can also be used for everyday situations. If you accede to your mother's request that you come home before ten, it means you'll be missing that midnight movie with your friends. Accede comes from the Latin accedere, meaning to "approach or enter upon." It differs slightly from concede, which also means consent, but a more reluctant kind. If you were to concede to your mom's 10 PM curfew rather than accede to it, you'd be doing so against your will.
Vocabulary lists containing accede
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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:
The businessman alleged that Cele also made other requests, including asking for help to purchase a home and pay for his son's studies, to which Matlala refused to accede.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
"I am prepared to accede to the prosecution's request" said presiding judge Joanna Korner.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
“Either you accede to the demands of the White House, or you are going to get fired,” said Douglas Ross, an antitrust-law professor at the University of Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
After months of negotiations hit a wall, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a statement Thursday night that “we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.”
From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2026
What could she do but accede, praying that her father would live until her return?
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
When Simo joined OpenAI, her new company acceded to the wishes of her old company, Kundu said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
Isaac Mwaura, spokesperson for the current Kenyan government, told the BBC that the authorities were "very co-operative with the protesters and acceded to the demands, including the president not assenting to the finance bill".
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2024
Mirisch finally acceded, but he also imposed a tight budget.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
Countries that have ratified or acceded to the treaty are obligated to “prevent or punish” it.
From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2023
I reluctantly acceded; I yearned to spend my second night of freedom under my own roof.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
In response, Samsung's management said the talks failed because "acceding to the labour union's excessive demands would risk undermining the fundamental principles of the company's management".
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
The apartheid government under President F.W. de Klerk dismantled its nuclear weapons and associated facilities in an orderly process—before acceding to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026
What it emphatically cannot mean is acceding to powerlessness in the face of a bunch of institutions that are working to make it seem as if their omnipotence is inevitable, or irrevocable, or constitutionally overdetermined.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025
Despite not acceding to the family’s request for life sentences, they said they were happy with the outcome and that justice had been served.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2024
All of the sisters played chess with him, but acceding to his preference, they played Fischer Random.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
