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
-
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:
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
Alonso is only the sixth manager to concede two or more goals in each of his first five Premier League matches in charge.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
They concede that the operating environment in France is tough and that dividends will likely be lower in 2027, but point to several positives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Even many of those creating artificial intelligence now concede they can’t say with any degree of certainty that they know what it is doing, why it is doing it or if it is safe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
After years of riding the range, she was no longer smooth-complexioned. concede.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
They concedes that "there is more to do, but we are determined to return cancer performance to the standards people rightly expect".
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 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
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
“As Ms. Griffin herself concedes, she has no proof of the sexual abuse she recalled for the first time decades later while using psychedelics,” New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Schwartz concedes that his idea has virtually no chance of being accepted.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
After their shellacking at Ibrox on Sunday, Celtic's response against Ferencvaros was another heavy defeat and three more goals conceded.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
In 2024-25 Hibs conceded late goals that cost them points against Kilmarnock, Ross County, Hearts, Dundee twice and Dundee United twice in minutes 88, 90, 90, 90, 86, 90, 87 and 90.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney pitched Canada as an investment haven Tuesday at a gathering of global financial elite, but conceded ties with the United States remained crucial despite an escalating trade war.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Arsenal have only conceded once and City have let in two goals - two of the best records in the league.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 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
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
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
The only variable is how much they spend before conceding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
UCLA’s run defense ranked 18th worst in the nation last season, conceding 190.4 yards per game, while JMU’s unit ranked fifth best, allowing just 85.1 yards per contest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
That’s even softer than a crew suggestion, because the speaker is conceding that he’s not in charge.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
