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:
After the match restarted, Millwall went on to concede a 90th-minute goal to lose 1-0.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 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
By July it was 88%, and officials concede a gasoline shortfall of nearly 4 million gallons a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Later, Archie had to concede that Brother Leon had dramatized the sale too vividly and therefore put himself and The Vigils and the entire school on the spot.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
“Maybe not appropriate for the moment,” he concedes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The FTC concedes as much, stating in its August enforcement bulletin that “the extent to which businesses currently use personalized pricing is not well understood, and the effects of personalized pricing on consumers are unclear.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
He concedes that he “kind of went crazy for a little while” in snapping up shoes, owns hundreds of pairs, and it has become a bit of an issue at his Manhattan Beach home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
He also knows the basic reality if a side concedes twice every time they play, they will not win many Premier League games.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Schwartz concedes that his idea has virtually no chance of being accepted.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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
After the hearing, she conceded that “there are a lot of unanswered questions.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
But, at the same time, they conceded three goals and they still have that vulnerability about them at the back.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
I feel like the Cherries have been a bit unlucky with their results under Rose so far, because they have conceded some costly late goals, but Scott's absence is a huge blow for them.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“But then again,” Alexander conceded, “I don’t have nice nails and I can buy whatever I want.”
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
De Zerbi has many other issues to deal with, from Tottenham's poor home form to their inability to recover from conceding the first goal in games.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 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
Flick's side have exploded out of the blocks this season, scoring 22 goals across their first five games while conceding only three.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
In the third set, both players remained on serve without conceding a single break point to reach another tie-break.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
He insisted that the iridium had been deposited by volcanic action even while conceding in a newspaper interview that he had no actual evidence of it.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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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.
