Dictionary.com
definitions

recede

1
[ri-seed]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recede ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), re·ced·ed, re·ced·ing.

to go or move away; retreat; go to or toward a more distant point; withdraw.
to become more distant.
(of a color, form, etc., on a flat surface) to move away or be perceived as moving away from an observer, especially as giving the illusion of space.Compare advance(def 15).
to slope backward: a chin that recedes.
to draw back or withdraw from a conclusion, viewpoint, undertaking, promise, etc.

RELATED CONTENT

shitshowRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
The Lost Language of Love and CourtshipTo modern ears, the following excerpt from Anthony Trollope’s He Knew He Was Right, published in 1869, sounds risqué. Trollope writes: It is not pleasant to make love in the presence of a third person, even when that love is all fair and above board; but it is quite impracticable to do so to a married lady, when that married lady’s sister is present. As …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

reduce, fade, ebb, wane, dwindle, lessen, taper, subside, decrease, sink, abate, diminish, shrink, retreat, retrogress, decline, retire, return, depart, drop

Nearby words

  1. recce,
  2. recco,
  3. reccy,
  4. recd,
  5. recd.,
  6. receipt,
  7. receiptor,
  8. receivable,
  9. receive,
  10. received

Origin of recede

1
1470–80; < Latin recēdere to go, fall back, equivalent to re- re- + cēdere to withdraw, go; see cede
Can be confusedrecede reseed

recede

2
[ree-seed]

verb (used with object), re·ced·ed, re·ced·ing.

to cede back; yield or grant to a former possessor.

Origin of recede

2
First recorded in 1765–75; re- + cede
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recede

British Dictionary definitions for recede

recede

verb (intr)

to withdraw from a point or limit; go backthe tide receded
to become more distanthopes of rescue receded
to slope backwardsapes have receding foreheads
  1. (of a man's hair) to cease to grow at the temples and above the forehead
  2. (of a man) to start to go bald in this way
to decline in value or character
(usually foll by from) to draw back or retreat, as from a promise

Word Origin for recede

C15: from Latin recēdere to go back, from re- + cēdere to yield, cede
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
Word Origin and History for recede

recede

v.

early 15c., from Middle French receder, from Latin recedere "to go back, fall back; withdraw, depart, retire," from re- "back" (see re-) + cedere "to go" (see cede). Related: Receded; receding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper