Meaning & use
concede
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To admit, usually unwillingly, that something is true or that someone else is right.
Grammar: Often takes a that-clause: he conceded that she was right.
Patterns
- concede that something
- concede something to someone
- concede a point
I concede that the first draft was weak.
The minister conceded that mistakes had been made.
He grudgingly conceded the point to his sister.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To accept defeat in a contest, such as an election or a match, before it ends.
Grammar: Can be used without an object: she conceded.
Patterns
- concede defeat
- concede to someone
The candidate conceded the election at midnight.
The champion conceded when he saw he could not win.
The team refused to concede, even when behind.
verbtransitiveformal
To give up something, such as land, a right or a goal, to another party.
Grammar: Takes an object, often followed by to: concede territory to a rival.
Patterns
- concede something to someone
The country was forced to concede territory to its neighbor.
The goalkeeper conceded two goals in the first half.
The company conceded market share to its rivals.
Word forms
| third person singular | concedes |
|---|---|
| past tense | conceded |
| past participle | conceded |
| -ing form | conceding |
Common combinations
- concede defeat
- She conceded defeat in a short speech.
- concede a point
- I will concede a point on cost, but not on quality.
- concede a goal
- The team conceded a goal in the last minute.
- reluctantly concede
- He reluctantly conceded that it was his fault.
- concede the election
- The senator conceded the election to her rival.
Synonyms and how they differ
- admit
- Admit is more neutral and can be used for any confession, whereas concede suggests giving ground to someone else.
- acknowledge
- Acknowledge means recognize as true, without the reluctance concede implies.
- yield
- Yield focuses on giving way to force or pressure, rather than agreeing something is true.
- surrender
- Surrender is stronger and implies giving up completely, as in war.
Opposites
Word family
- concession noun
- something yielded or granted, or a reduced price
- concessionary adjective
- allowing a reduced rate or special terms
- concessive adjective
- expressing a concession, as in a grammar clause with although
- conceding verb
- the -ing form of concede
Commonly confused: concede or conceive? concede or concede/seed?
concede vs conceive
Conceive means to form an idea or become pregnant, and has a different meaning despite similar spelling.
concede vs concede/seed
Remember that concede ends in -cede like precede and recede.
Practice
After a long count, the losing candidate finally ___ the election.
Choose one answer.
Conceded means accepted defeat, and fits an election count. Conceived, conceited and conceals look similar but have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “concede”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.