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concede

kuhn-SEED /kənˈsiːd/

verbC1GRESATTOEFL

formalpoliticalacademic

To admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it; to surrender or yield a right or possession.

Concede often implies a reluctant admission, usually after a struggle or debate. It is more formal than 'admit'.

The story behind the word. From the Latin 'con-' (completely) and 'cedere' (to go or yield). It originally described the physical act of stepping aside to let someone else pass, which evolved into the metaphorical act of letting an opponent's argument pass as valid.

Word relationships

grant: Grant implies giving something as a favor or formal right, whereas concede implies giving it up under pressure.
acknowledge: Acknowledge is a neutral recognition of truth; concede is a yielding of a previously held position.

deny: Deny is to state that something is not true, the direct opposite of admitting it via concession.
dispute: Dispute means to argue against something rather than accepting its validity.

Commonly confused with

confess: Confess is for admitting guilt or a secret; concede is for admitting the validity of an opponent's point.

Word family

concession (noun): The act of conceding or the thing yielded.

Collocations

concede defeat
concede a point
concede a goal
reluctantly concede

Example sentences

"The candidate refused to concede the election until every single ballot had been recounted twice." Political election results
"I will concede that there is a difference between the two, but the similarity is far more striking." Formal debate

Memory hook

If you CONCEDE, you 'Cede' (seed) the ground to your opponent. Yielding the field.

When not to use

Do not use for simple admissions of fact that weren't contested (e.g., don't say 'I concede I ate the apple' if no one argued about it).

Fun facts

In sports, 'conceding a goal' uses the word in its most literal sense of allowing the opponent to score.