concession

American  

[kuhn-sesh-uhn] / kənˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

• concessions
  plural

1. the act of conceding or yielding, as a right, a privilege, or a point or fact in an argument.

   He made no concession to caution.

2. the thing or point yielded.

   Management offered a shorter workweek as a concession.

3. something conceded by a government or a controlling authority, as a grant of land, a privilege, or a franchise.

4. a space or privilege within certain premises for a subsidiary business or service.

   the refreshment concession at a movie theater.

5. Canadian. any of the usually sixteen divisions of a township, each division being 10 sq. mi. (26 sq. km) in area and containing thirty-two 200-acre lots.

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concession British  

/ kənˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of yielding or conceding, as to a demand or argument

2. something conceded

3. a reduction in the usual price of a ticket granted to a special group of customers

   a student concession

4. any grant of rights, land, or property by a government, local authority, corporation, or individual

5. the right, esp an exclusive right, to market a particular product in a given area

6. 1. the right to maintain a subsidiary business on a lessor's premises

   2. the premises so granted or the business so maintained

   3. a free rental period for such premises

7. 1. a land subdivision in a township survey

   2. another name for concession road

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconcession
  noun
• preconcession
  noun
• subconcession
  noun
• concessible
  adjective
• concessional
  adjective
• proconcession
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• concessions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of concession

First recorded in 1605–15; 1910–15 concession for def. 4; from Latin concēssiōn- (stem of concēssiō ), equivalent to concēss(us) (past participle of concēdere ”to concede ”) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

The noun concession comes in handy in negotiations — between countries, political parties, or even parents and their kids. Want a raise in your allowance? You may have to agree to do more chores as a concession before your parents will agree. Although a concession in an argument is the act of yielding or granting something, don't get confused and think that a concession stand is called that because the workers are granting you popcorn at the baseball stadium. Concessions at a ballpark or at another venue are called that because the stadium has granted the right to sell food to a certain provider. Chew on that the next time you're munching on peanuts at a game.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

concession concessions

Last week, Ellison made his biggest concession yet: pledging at least $1.5 billion more on domestic production over five years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Unite Here Local 11, the union which represents workers including dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers and SoFi Stadium’s food-service operator Legends Global, came to a tentative agreement days before the first match.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

At issue was a reduction in the tariff on Canadian primary aluminum — a concession also expected for fabricated aluminum products.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Fishing is inseparable from Iceland's culture and political identity, and no politician ever could make that concession, says Prof Bergmann.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

If you believed the polls, it appeared that Barack was poised to win, but I also knew he’d been working on two possible speeches for the night ahead—one for a victory, another for a concession.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Some had felt Paramount may be more inclined to grant concessions once it had to start increasing its payout to Warner Bros. investors starting Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Plus, the Magnificent Seven has roared back, and we unpack the concessions that helped David Ellison end his stalemate with California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Regardless of whether the settlement maximizes California’s immediate economic benefits, the states’ ability to delay the transaction and force concessions is presented as a lasting institutional gain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Paramount and the states agreed to certain concessions to complete the deal, California’s attorney general Rob Bonta said at a news conference.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026

Liberals urged Verwoerd to offer concessions to Africans.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• acknowledgment
• admission
• compromise
• deal
• grant
• permit
• privilege