accede

verb

ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd How to pronounce accede (audio)
ik-
acceded; acceding

intransitive verb

1
formal
a
: to express approval or give consent : to agree to a request or demand
usually + to
The government acceded to their demands.
b
: to become a party to something (such as an agreement)
usually + to
accede to the terms of a contract
2
formal : to enter upon an office or position
usually + to
He acceded to the throne [=became king] in 1838.
3
archaic, formal : approach

Did you know?

To accede usually means to yield, often under pressure and with some reluctance, to the needs or requests of others. Voters usually accede to a tax increase only when they're convinced it's the only real solution to a shortfall in government funding. A patient may accede to surgery only after the doctor assures him it's better than the alternatives. If you accede to your spouse's plea to watch the new reality show at 9:00, you may get to choose something better at 10:00.

Choose the Right Synonym for accede

assent, consent, accede, acquiesce, agree, subscribe mean to concur with what has been proposed.

assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

Examples of accede in a Sentence

His son acceded upon the king's death. finally acceded to their pleas for more time to complete the project
Recent Examples on the Web Only now has Washington appeared to accede to demands that Henry step aside—at a moment when prospects could hardly be less promising for a respectable, responsible democrat to ascend into the Haitian presidency, and when many armed criminals are at the ready. Amy Wilentz, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 The leaders were unhappy with the suspension, the Iraqi official said, but acceded to the request of the country that has trained and armed their forces. Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024 The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide has been signed and ratified or acceded by 153 countries – including Israel and the United States. Iman Jodeh, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2024 Estonia, a former part of the Soviet Union, joined the European Union and acceded to NATO in 2004. Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 More title changes are on the way with Frederik acceding the throne. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2024 Where spending is concerned, the talk is of Democrats agreeing to pare back some of $80 billion recently allocated to the IRS along with acceding to GOP demands to reduce discretionary spending across the board. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 6 Oct. 2023 His gesture revealed more than his response: the Spanish had acceded to dictatorship out of fear. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 Though Charles immediately acceded as sovereign following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth last September, he was ceremoniously crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster Abbey on May 6. Stacy Lambe, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accede.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acceden "to come near, become adapted to," borrowed from Latin accēdere "to draw near, approach, side (with), be added (to)," from ad- ad- + cēdere "to go away, yield" — more at cede

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of accede was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near accede

Cite this Entry

“Accede.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accede. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

accede

verb
ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd How to pronounce accede (audio)
ik-
acceded; acceding
1
: to give consent : agree
accede to a proposed plan
2
: to enter upon an office or position
acceded to the throne in 1838

Legal Definition

accede

intransitive verb
ac·​cede ak-ˈsēd, ik- How to pronounce accede (audio)
acceded; acceding
1
a
: to become a party (as to an agreement) by associating oneself with others
they were invited to accede to the covenant
b
: to express approval or give consent
the banker asks for collateral. The debtor…accedes, and transfers some of his propertyIn re Patterson, 139 F. Supp. 830 (1956)
2
: to assume an office or position
acceded to the governorship
3
a
: to become added by way of growth, increase, improvement, or labor
the various improvements…had acceded to the realty and had become “fixtures”Graham v. Henderson, 608 S.W.2d 150 (1980)
b
: to come into control or ownership of something
a trustee in bankruptcy specifically accedes to all property of the debtorDirectory Int'l, Inc. v. Bates Mfg. Co., 91 B.R. 738 (1988)

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