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
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concededlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concedesimple
-
concedessimple
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have concededperfect
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has concededperfect
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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:
“Prosecutors frequently use DNA testing to match someone to a crime as a means of getting a guilty verdict, and they are not willing to concede that that same evidence also proves innocence.”
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
The vote proved too close to call on Tuesday evening, but by Wednesday morning, El-Sayed had claimed the win, and Stevens had phoned him to concede.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
And on this point, the Norwegians are willing to concede that they are underdogs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Spain have a greater control, defensively limit sides to few chances and are still yet to concede.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
“I concede those points. “Yet her work at the weaving shed is competent.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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
Hickman, reached by email by MarketWatch, concedes that he is not sure.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
It also concedes that neither the inclusion of ARCHES, nor any other grants in the October tranche, was “based on any programmatic, statutory, cost-reduction, or performance-based factor.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Nouzille concedes that these documents are not "final proof" that Libya was targeting Pan Am 103 flight, but he believes this is evidence of their modus operandi.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Gorgias concedes, “No: the definition seems to me very fair, Socrates; for persuasion is the chief end of rhetoric.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
“We’re not all going to agree on everything,” Crowley conceded to Politico on Thursday.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
She conceded that she has no documents to prove Jenkinson's medical condition, or his need for a support animal.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Our physician father finally conceded that tonic water—thanks to drops of quinine—might not be a completely worthless mix of food coloring and empty calories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Zaslav conceded Warner Bros. would release fewer films this year than initially anticipated because some weren’t ready for audiences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Though no fan of the Inka, he conceded that “only a very small number of empires throughout the whole world have succeeded in achieving this feat.”
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Max , 32, chuckled Wednesday when informed of that wisecrack, conceding that he’s got some pretty stiff competition in his family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Saliba, 25, made 50 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal last season and his formidable partnership with team-mate Gabriel was a big factor in them conceding fewer goals than anyone else in the division.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
If IBM can’t tell investors what the next two quarters look like, it’s conceding it doesn’t know when its customers will come back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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
When I persisted in my carping to the economists, they generally backed down a bit, conceding that while wages at the bottom are going up, they’re not going up very briskly.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
