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
-
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:
It's completely not normal to concede three goals in this kind of game after nine minutes.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
The exchanges would have had to concede that the crypto assets on their platforms were securities and operate under legacy rules and regulations designed for vastly different infrastructure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Romanian filmmaker’s stoic drama is designed to provoke viewers in opposite directions, snaring them in waiting traps and causing them to concede in agony, “You have a point!”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
The closer Tottenham went to scoring the more it seemed likely they would concede.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Now she must concede to those who think perhaps I should have been abandoned in the jungle at birth: well, they have a point.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
“Maybe not appropriate for the moment,” he concedes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Mr. Rebeiro, to his credit, concedes that the historical evidence strongly indicates that fugitive slaves were contemplated by the clause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
"Burnham is a more formidable opponent," concedes Tim Montgomerie.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Though he contends he never meant to send a message silencing those who would expose wrongdoing, he concedes that did happen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The proposer of the game is quiet for half an hour, then finally shrugs and concedes defeat.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
There is a cash-flow mismatch, the analysts conceded.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Sage has won just two of his opening seven Premier League games in charge, while the 17 goals they have conceded is the most in the league.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Sage's side conceded three times in the opening 10 minutes as they suffered their worst loss to their rivals since January 1956.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
While he conceded the AI investment boom would drive prices up in the short term, he felt there was a "huge benefit" to the global economy on the horizon.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
“They can’t move a major force that way,” Matthias conceded.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
The Spaniard oversaw the Reds' first away league win after conceding first since December 2023, ending a run of 19 winless away games when going 1-0 behind.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
This makes a low-possession approach harder to sell long term, even if the players might look better conceding possession.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
There is one conclusion to draw from that statistic: It is becoming increasingly urgent for Alonso to stop Chelsea from conceding.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The German had won all five of their previous matchups, on three different surfaces, while conceding just one set.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Many of history’s greatest horses had faltered under 128 pounds or more; Seabiscuit had set two track records under 133 pounds and four more under 130 while conceding massive amounts of weight to his opponents.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
