concede
Americanverb (used with object)
-
concedes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conceded,
past participle, past
-
conceding
present participle
-
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)
-
concedes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conceded,
past participle, past
-
conceding
present participle
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
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concedernoun
-
preconcedeverb (used with object)
-
concessibleadjective
-
unconcedingadjective
-
concededlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concedesimple
-
concedessimple
-
have concededperfect
-
has concededperfect
-
am concedingprogressive
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are concedingprogressive
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is concedingprogressive
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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:
Could Alvarez also concede defeat in his efforts to leave Atleti this summer and attempt to mend what appears to be a broken relationship with the club and its supporters?
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Lindell lost by 11 points to the Minnesota house speaker, Lisa Demuth, but did not graciously concede.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Mr. Mamdani will soon have to concede the point or fade rapidly in political relevance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Any further strength here and you would have to concede a new leg higher for the space.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The prince wore a golden crown upon his neat hair, and she had to concede that he looked rather regal.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Even the abolitionist Death Penalty Information Center concedes that “there is no way to tell how many of the … people executed since 1976 may … have been innocent.”
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
Nobody, Sobel concedes, knows how large that effect is.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Hickman, reached by email by MarketWatch, concedes that he is not sure.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Having been enjoyably candid about his goals for the summer - smashing a 27-year-old standard and winning Games gold - Kerr concedes there is relief about following word with deed.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
At his insistence, she concedes and makes him an American dinner once a week as a treat, Shake ’n Bake chicken or Hamburger Helper prepared with ground lamb.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
However, Bessent conceded, he wasn’t doing this now—only firing a “warning shot,” saying what would happen if those entities didn’t pull back.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Sanft questioned Ladd about the Excalibur letter, and the retired detective conceded he did not have the items and none of them referenced Davis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Meanwhile, his City stars make the top five for goals per game and boast the best record for fewest goals conceded, a miserly 0.83 per game.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Arsenal only conceded 27 goals last season, with that impressive record reflected in the selections of goalkeeper Raya and defenders Gabriel, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber named alongside midfielder Rice.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“It does make her look at least eighteen,” conceded Sissy.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
That Villa lost 4-0 - conceding all four in a calamitous opening 31 minutes before having debutant Joao Gomes sent off - merely added added to the perceived insult.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The only variable is how much they spend before conceding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
UCLA’s run defense ranked 18th worst in the nation last season, conceding 190.4 yards per game, while JMU’s unit ranked fifth best, allowing just 85.1 yards per contest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
I’ve been wrestling with Jason Statham for a decade and I’m finally conceding defeat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Not asking what happened is conceding that what happened is cataclysmic.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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.
