ceded

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the phrase "ceded" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to the act of giving up or relinquishing control, rights, or territory, often in a formal or legal context. Example: "The country ceded its territory to the neighboring nation after the treaty was signed."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"Now the problem is that too often progressives, the centre left, have ceded this kind of language to our political opponents".

The Guardian

In the final days he graciously ceded the limelight to Gordon Brown, despite old animosities between the pair.

The Guardian - Opinion

In government, we were the architects of devolution, but in opposition ceded that ground to George Osborne and his Northern Powerhouse agenda.

The Guardian - Opinion

However, having kept his constituency, Mason ceded the pass and in 1987 accepted a peerage.

The Guardian

Eden Hazard, the club's designated penalty-taker, ceded responsibility given the credentials and emotional punch carried by the man who had just come on.

The Guardian - Sport

In accepting the essence of the Tory framework on austerity, in signing up to Tory spending limits, he ceded the ground on economic credibility to revamped Thatcherism and was playing catch-up from that moment.

The Guardian - Opinion

Clegg was in the firing line after his party lost more than 300 council seats and ceded control of two key councils – Kingston-upon-Thames (to the Conservatives) and Portsmouth.

The Guardian

Thursday night's 1-0 win in Derbyshire was followed up in style as Simon Grayson's side looked to make the most of their second opportunity having ceded second spot to MK Dons last weekend.

The Guardian - Sport

Euphoria in Europe at the perceived toppling of Blatter – not matched by the majority of countries whose football associations did vote for him – has quickly ceded to a realisation that the vacuum leaves enormous risk.

The Guardian - Sport

He, too, though, is happy to bash the Germans, playing on Polish fears of alleged Berlin plots to reconquer lands ceded to Poland at the end of the second world war.

The Guardian

Hamas supporters, overjoyed when their ideological bedfellows, the Muslim Brothers, won Egypt's presidential election last June, are aghast that, in power, the Brothers have ceded control of Gaza's borders to Egypt's security forces.Some people in Gaza predict a resumption of the violence of last August, when 18 Egyptian soldiers were killed near the border where Egypt, Gaza and Israel all meet.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "ceded" in formal contexts when you want to emphasize the official transfer of control, rights, or territory.

Common error

Avoid using "ceded" when you actually mean "seeded", which refers to planting seeds or initiating a process. "Ceded" always implies a transfer of something already established.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "ceded" is as the past tense and past participle of the verb "cede". It indicates an action of formally giving up or relinquishing something, such as territory or rights. This aligns with Ludwig's analysis, confirming its usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

25%

Science

25%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "ceded" is a grammatically sound verb form used to describe the act of formally relinquishing something. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability. It's frequently found in news and formal contexts, signifying transfers of power, rights, or territory. When writing, remember that while "ceded" and "surrendered" can be synonyms, "ceded" implies a more official and formal transfer. The related phrases like "relinquished" or "surrendered", can provide nuance to your writing depending on the context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

relinquished

Implies a more formal or deliberate act of giving something up.

surrendered

Suggests yielding to an opponent or force.

yielded

Indicates giving way under pressure or in response to a request.

gave up

A more informal way of saying relinquished.

transferred

Emphasizes the act of passing something to another party.

conveyed

Highlights the formal transfer of ownership or rights.

granted

Implies bestowing something as a favor or right.

bestowed

Suggests conferring something as a gift or honor.

handed over

Indicates a physical or direct transfer of something.

passed on

Suggests transferring something, often responsibility or control, to another.

FAQs

What does "ceded" mean?

"Ceded" means to give up power or territory.

How is "ceded" used in a sentence?

"Ceded" is typically used to describe the transfer of rights, control, or territory, as in "The country "ceded" the disputed territory after the treaty was signed."

What are some synonyms for "ceded"?

Synonyms for "ceded" include "relinquished", "surrendered", and "yielded", each carrying slightly different connotations.

When is it appropriate to use "ceded" instead of "surrendered"?

"Ceded" is more appropriate in formal or legal contexts when emphasizing the official transfer of something, while "surrendered" often implies yielding to an opposing force.