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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.

See Examples For:

concede concedes conceded conceding

DWP officials concede they’re hampered by budget restraints, manpower limitations, long project timelines and the sizable footprint of the repairs needed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 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

They are yet to concede at this tournament, and their six straight clean sheets - including their final game at the 2022 finals - is the longest run by any side in World Cup history.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 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

Its young designer still did not concede defeat, however.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Hickman, reached by email by MarketWatch, concedes that he is not sure.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

An ally concedes: "He has that strong sense of self – but it does waver sometimes."

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

This is where an actor widely known for one long-running role, usually on television, finally concedes that disappearing into another character is all but impossible.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

“If Pillarhenge is completed and Pinky goes into the lobby or something, that’s all right, I guess,” Flod concedes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Maybe, or perhaps, he concedes, he just mixed up the different locations, given everything on his mind.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

McDonald’s executives conceded on Tuesday that recent discounting initiatives haven’t always worked out and have even turned away some of the restaurant’s biggest fans.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

For his part, Herbert conceded that he was more nervous about proposing than he was before the first start of his NFL career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Saltburn have conceded Wednesday's fixture - a cup game against Marton's second team - with BBC Sport being told Saltburn were unable to get a team together because of the "holiday season".

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

He maintained that "we must be positive; we have the emergency under control" but conceded that "weather conditions are not helping us at all".

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

But he wasn’t drawn to move so far away from family and friends himself, he conceded.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said he was "deeply sorry", conceding that "the information contained within these devices would have inspired further investigative action".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Spain's Unai Simon claimed the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper after conceding just once in eight games.

From BBC ● 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

France has bludgeoned the opposition, scoring 16 goals while conceding just two.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Annie smirked, conceding the point with a nod.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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