recede
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to go or move away; retreat; go to or toward a more distant point; withdraw.
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to become more distant.
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(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.
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to slope backward.
a chin that recedes.
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to draw back or withdraw from a conclusion, viewpoint, undertaking, promise, etc.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to withdraw from a point or limit; go back
the tide receded
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to become more distant
hopes of rescue receded
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to slope backwards
apes have receding foreheads
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(of a man's hair) to cease to grow at the temples and above the forehead
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(of a man) to start to go bald in this way
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to decline in value or character
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(usually foll by from) to draw back or retreat, as from a promise
Etymology
Origin of recede1
First recorded in 1470–80; from Latin recēdere “to go back, fall back”; equivalent to re- + cede
Origin of recede2
Explanation
Recede means to pull back, retreat, or become faint or distant. Flood waters recede, as do glaciers, and even abstractions like "panic" and "hope." Think "receding hairline." (That means bald.) Cede means "to yield." Politicians, after losing an election will "cede the field" or "concede the race." Recede means to yield back. Over time, this word has taken on the sense of fading or growing faint, as in "The ghostly vision of a woman receded into the fog."
Vocabulary lists containing recede
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Hatchet
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List 8
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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:
Economists and industry analysts say that even after oil starts flowing again from the Middle East, it could take a while for the Iran war’s effects on consumer prices to recede.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Dentine is the softer layer beneath enamel, and it can become exposed when enamel wears away or gums recede.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
A surge in U.S. inflation to a three-year high has begun to recede, but life isn’t going to get more affordable for Americans anytime soon.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
He changed it by creating a textured surface with color variations and what might be viewed as imperfections, and by layering three flags, in diminishing sizes, atop one another, that advance—or recede.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Little waves, I thought And the water behind me seemed to recede.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
He also told the BBC that many people had already fled into the hills because the sea had also receded.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
While the cliff at the back of the hall has "barely receded", Brown said it was important to act before it was too late.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The Cold War has receded as a living memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
On Wednesday when AFP visited Liulan, floodwaters had receded, but the streets and houses were swamped with thick mud.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
For a moment she felt faint, her head swam, sounds receded, the room darkened, but almost at once her senses came back even more pitilessly than before, and nothing in the situation had changed.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
While heavy rain continued to fall early Monday evening, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon told a news conference that floodwaters were receding.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
It’s true: I live surrounded by people who keep receding into the music of the past.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
I chose two: one ridged and heavy, its skin receding from burgundy into a deep, almost plum color; the other a cheerful red beefsteak.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Photos from across the country have captured some of the dry conditions - including receding rivers, parched parks and sportspeople trying to play on.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
And when the bus pulled away, she did not look back to see him receding, to see him disappear in the cloud of exhaust and dust.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
