Recede

Recede

Verb · /rɪˈsiːd/ · to move back or withdraw; to become more distant or less prominent

Definition

To recede means to move away gradually — to pull back, to withdraw, to diminish from view or from prominence. Flood waters recede. A hairline recedes. A sound recedes into the distance. A pain recedes after treatment. Hopes recede when circumstances turn against you. The word captures the quality of a slow, gradual withdrawal — not a sudden disappearance but a retreating motion that may or may not be visible to the naked eye in the moment, but is clear in retrospect.

Origin

From Latin recedere — re- (back) + cedere (to go, to yield, to cede). The root cedere also gives us cede, concede, and accede. To recede is literally to go back. The word entered English in the 15th century and has retained its core meaning of backward or diminishing movement ever since.