Meaning & use
ceding
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“ceding” is a form of “cede”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
Formally handing over land, power or rights to another country or authority, often after a defeat or agreement.
Grammar: Takes an object, often followed by to: ceding territory to a neighbor.
Patterns
- ceding something to someone
- ceding control of something
The treaty was signed, ceding the northern provinces to the winning side.
The king ended the war by ceding part of his kingdom.
Ceding control of the port was a hard decision for the government.
verbtransitiveformal
Giving up an advantage, position or point, often unwillingly, in a contest or argument.
Grammar: Takes an object: ceding ground, ceding the lead.
Patterns
- ceding ground to someone
- ceding the lead to someone
The champion is ceding ground to younger rivals.
By ceding the point so early, he weakened his own case.
The party risks ceding the middle ground to its opponents.
verbtransitivebusinesstechnical
In insurance, passing part of the risk to another insurer, known as a reinsurer.
Grammar: Takes an object and used in insurance: ceding a portion of the risk.
Patterns
- ceding risk to someone
The insurer protects itself by ceding part of the risk to a larger firm.
The ceding company pays a share of the premium to the reinsurer.
Common combinations
- ceding territory
- Ceding territory was the price of peace.
- ceding control
- The founder resisted ceding control of the company.
- ceding ground
- The team has been ceding ground in the second half.
- ceding power
- The ruler was reluctant about ceding power to parliament.
- ceding authority
- The agency is ceding authority to local councils.
Synonyms and how they differ
- surrendering
- Surrendering suggests giving up after being beaten, whereas ceding can be a calm, negotiated handover.
- yielding
- Yielding is wider and can mean giving way physically or in an argument, while ceding is mostly about formally giving up land, power or rights.
- relinquishing
- Relinquishing means letting go of something one holds, often by choice, with less sense of passing it to another party.
- handing over
- Handing over is the plain, everyday equivalent, lacking the legal tone of ceding.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ceding or seeding? ceding or conceding?
ceding vs seeding
Seeding means planting seeds or ranking players in a tournament, and it sounds the same as ceding but is spelled with see.
ceding vs conceding
Conceding means admitting something is true or admitting defeat, while ceding means handing over land or power.
Practice
The treaty ended the war by ______ the border region to the neighboring country.
Choose one answer.
Ceding means formally handing over territory. Seeding and exceeding have other meanings, and succeeding would need a different structure and means coming after.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ceding”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.