recede

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To move gradually back or away from a place or point.

   Grammar: No object; often used with from or into: the water receded from the shore.

   Patterns

   • recede from something
   • recede into something

   The floodwaters slowly receded after the storm.

   The coastline seems to recede as the plane climbs.

   The tide receded, leaving small pools on the sand.

2. 2verbintransitivefigurative

   To become fainter, weaker or less likely over time.

   Grammar: Used for feelings, memories and hopes: fears recede.

   Patterns

   • recede into the background
   • recede from memory

   As the weeks passed, her fear began to recede.

   The pain receded after the medicine took effect.

   The hope of a quick solution receded.

3. 3verbintransitive

   To slope backward or have an edge moving back, as a hairline does.

   Grammar: No object; used for hairlines, chins and foreheads.

   Patterns

   • a receding hairline
   • a receding chin

   His hairline started to recede in his twenties.

   The glacier receded about ten meters a year.

   A small beard hid his receding chin.

4. 4verbintransitiveformal

   To lose value or strength, such as prices or a problem going down.

   Grammar: Used in economics: prices recede.

   Patterns

   • recede to something

   Fuel prices receded after the peak last winter.

   The threat of inflation has begun to recede.

Word forms

Common combinations

recede into the distance

The train receded into the distance.

receding hairline

He joked about his receding hairline.

floodwaters recede

Residents returned home once the floodwaters receded.

recede from view

The island receded from view as the ferry left.

recede into the background

Her worries receded into the background during the holiday.

glaciers recede

Glaciers recede faster in warm summers.

Synonyms and how they differ

retreat

Retreat suggests moving back in the face of danger or force, while recede is gentler and slower.

withdraw

Withdraw suggests a deliberate act of taking oneself away, whereas recede can happen naturally.

ebb

Ebb is mostly about the tide or fading strength and has a poetic tone.

fade

Fade fits sounds, colors and memories and means growing weaker, while recede implies moving away.

Opposites

Word family

recession noun

a period when the economy shrinks, or the act of moving back

receding adjective

moving back or fading

recess noun

a break, or a small hollow set back in a wall

recessive adjective

tending to recede, or in genetics a gene hidden by a dominant gene

Commonly confused: recede or secede? recede or proceed?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “recede”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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