recede

UK: /rɪˈsiːd/ US: /rɪˈsid/ ,(ri sēd′ for 1; rē sēd′ for 2)

Inflections of 'recede' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

recedes

v 3rd person singular

receding

v pres p

receded

v past

receded

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•cede¹ /rɪˈsid/   v. [no object] , -ced•ed, -ced•ing. 

1. to go back to a more distant point;
   retreat;
   withdraw:
   The floodwaters finally receded.
2. to become or seem to become more distant:
   The painful memory began to recede.
3. to slope backward:
   a chin that recedes.

See -cede-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•cede¹  (ri sēd′), v.i., -ced•ed, -ced•ing. 

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

• Latin recēdere to go, fall back, equivalent. to re- re- + cēdere to withdraw, go; see cede
• 1470–80

Synonyms

• 5. retire, retreat.

re•cede²  (rē sēd′), v.t., -ced•ed, -ced•ing. 

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

• re- + cede 1765–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

recede / rɪˈsiːd/ verb (intransitive)

1. to withdraw from a point or limit; go back: the tide receded
2. to become more distant: hopes of rescue receded
3. to slope backwards
4. (of a man's hair) to cease to grow at the temples and above the forehead
5. (of a man) to start to go bald in this way
6. to decline in value or character
7. (usually followed by from) to draw back or retreat, as from a promise

Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin recēdere to go back, from re- + cēdere to yield, cede

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

re-cede / riːˈsiːd/ verb

1. (transitive) to restore to a former owner