Synonyms

concede

American

[kuhn-seed] / kənˈsid /

verb (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)

to make a concession; yield to pressure or circumstances; admit defeat.

She was so persistent that I conceded at last.
My favorite candidate conceded before the polls were even closed!

concede British

/ kənˈsiːd /

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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.

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

They have yet to concede a goal this tournament, tying the record for most consecutive men’s World Cup clean sheets with five.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

She pictured herself living there, in Kabul, at the other end of that unimaginable distance, living in a stranger’s house where she would have to concede to his moods and his issued demands.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023