concede
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to acknowledge as true, just, or proper; admit.
He finally conceded that she was right.
- Synonyms:
- grant
- Antonyms:
- deny
-
to acknowledge (an opponent's victory, score, etc.) before it is officially established.
to concede an election before all the votes are counted.
-
to grant as a right or privilege; yield.
to concede a longer vacation for all employees.
- Antonyms:
- refuse
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to admit or acknowledge (something) as true or correct
-
to yield or allow (something, such as a right)
-
(tr) to admit as certain in outcome
to concede an election
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
concedernoun
-
preconcedeverb (used with object)
-
concessibleadjective
-
unconcedingadjective
-
concededlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concedesimple
-
concedessimple
-
have concededperfect
-
has concededperfect
-
am concedingprogressive
-
are concedingprogressive
-
is concedingprogressive
-
have been concedingperfect progressive
-
has been concedingperfect progressive
Past
-
concededsimple
-
had concededperfect
-
was concedingprogressive
-
were concedingprogressive
-
had been concedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of concede
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin concēdere, equivalent to con- con- + cēdere “to withdraw, yield”; see cede
Explanation
If you concede something, you admit that it is true, proper, or certain — usually in an unwilling way and often in the context of a competition, as in "At midnight, the candidate finally conceded defeat." In its most common senses, a near synonym of concede is acknowledge — if your mom is pointing out that you need sleep before the test, you should concede the truth of what she's saying. But another meaning of concede is to give away or grant something, as when an unpopular leader is unwilling to concede power. Concede is from Latin concēdere, from the prefix com-, "completely," plus cēdere, "to go along, grant, yield." The corresponding noun is concession.
Vocabulary lists containing concede
List 1
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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Touching Spirit Bear
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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:
And on this point, the Norwegians are willing to concede that they are underdogs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
I’m sure some voters take issue with that characterization, and I’ll concede that the range and variety of nominees have been better in recent years than many others.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
When the company recently released its policy blueprint for the “Intelligence Age,” it had to concede that the economic disruption heading our way is unlike anything we’ve seen before.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
El Tri is now 4-0 in World Cup matches and has yet to concede a goal, both firsts for the Mexican national team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Only after about 20 years did Edison reluctantly concede that the main use of his phonograph was to record and play music.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
An ally concedes: "He has that strong sense of self – but it does waver sometimes."
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
This is where an actor widely known for one long-running role, usually on television, finally concedes that disappearing into another character is all but impossible.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Shapiro, who also declined an interview, said he has championed a two-state solution for decades though he concedes it now feels far away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“If Pillarhenge is completed and Pinky goes into the lobby or something, that’s all right, I guess,” Flod concedes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
This tendency is what led Frederick Douglass to declare that “power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will.”
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
He conceded, but not without adding a colorful tie, hand-painted by Nobel laureate Wally Gilbert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
A greater national investment in mental health care might even lighten his own load, he conceded.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
In addition to their four yellow cards, England gave away 14 penalties to Argentina's six, taking their tally for the Nations Championship to 34 conceded in three matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
He conceded that the 1898 Supreme Court opinion in U.S. v.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
As soon as I conceded defeat, Mother turned her attention to the most important issue—tea-drinking clothes.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Tongue took one wicket in two matches and was expensive at Lord's, conceding 43 runs from five overs, while Mahmood took 2-52 in Cardiff but was rotated out for Tongue for the series finale.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"You can shape a treatment to fit the belief system without explicitly endorsing it," French said, conceding an exorcism might even have a beneficial placebo effect in some cases.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
France has bludgeoned the opposition, scoring 16 goals while conceding just two.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
At last, Havana seems to be conceding what the rest of the world figured out a generation ago: The market works, however imperfect it is.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Now here was Gottlieb, conceding a potentially catastrophic error.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
