Word
concede
Phoneticscon·cede, stress on the second syllable
US/kənˈsid/
UK/kənsˈiːd/
Definitions
01to admit something is true
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to admit that something is true or logical, even if you are not happy about it.
v. to acknowledge as true, just, or proper, often reluctantly or after initial denial.
“After seeing the evidence, he had to concede that his theory was wrong.”
“The minister was eventually forced to concede that the new policy had failed to meet its primary economic targets.”
Synonyms
02to admit defeat
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to admit that you have lost a game, an election, or an argument.
v. to yield or surrender in a contest; to acknowledge an opponent's victory before it is officially final.
“The candidate decided to concede the election once the final votes were counted.”
“Despite a valiant effort in the final set, the grandmaster chose to concede the match when he realised his position was untenable.”
03to allow a goal
B2 · Upper Intermediate Sports
v. to have a goal or a point scored against you or your team.
v. to fail to prevent an opponent from scoring a goal, point, or run.
“The team was disappointed to concede a goal in the last minute of the game.”
“The goalkeeper had not conceded a single goal in five matches until a defensive error allowed the striker through.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “concede” in context.
Verb
01. concede that the opponent won
“The candidate refused to concede that the opponent won until every single vote was counted.”
verb + that-clause
02. refuse to concede defeat
“Despite trailing by twenty points, the team refused to concede defeat and kept playing hard.”
verb + infinitive
03. reluctantly concede the point
“After seeing the latest data, the scientist reluctantly conceded the point to his colleague.”
verb + adv + adj
Noun
04. failure to concede
“His failure to concede the election led to a period of significant political instability.”
noun + infinitive
05. pressure to concede
“The board is facing intense pressure to concede to the union's demands for better pay.”
noun + infinitive
Adverb
06. finally concede
“The government finally conceded that the new tax policy had been a failure.”
adv + verb
07. graciously concede
“She graciously conceded the match after her opponent played a flawless final set.”
adv + verb
Usage
The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object like 'defeat', 'a point', or 'the match'.
Pitfall
he conceded about his mistake
he conceded his mistake
Concede is transitive and does not require a preposition before the object.
Real-World Examples
“Everyone wants their success to look like the product of hard work and nothing else; nobody wants to concede they had a head start.” “With just one more goal scored and one more conceded, they finished with the same goal difference and just two points more than they did in 2015-16.” Etymology
From Middle English [Term?], from Old French conceder, from Latin concēdō (“give way, yield”), from con- (“wholly”) + cēdō (“to yield, give way, to go, grant”), from Proto-Indo-European *ked- (“to go, yield”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/concede