accede
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to give consent, approval, or adherence; agree; assent; to accede to a request; to accede to the terms of a contract.
-
to attain or assume an office, title, or dignity; succeed (usually followed byto ).
to accede to the throne.
-
International Law. to become a party to an agreement, treaty, or the like, by way of accession.
verb
-
to assent or give one's consent; agree
-
to enter upon or attain (to an office, right, etc)
the prince acceded to the throne
-
international law to become a party (to an agreement between nations, etc), as by signing a treaty
Synonym Usage
See agree.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accede
1400–50; late Middle English: to approach, adapt to < Latin accēdere to approach, assent, equivalent to ac- ac- + cēdere to go; see cede
Explanation
If you accede, it means you agree with someone or give in to his or her wish. The word is often used in a political context — the Queen acceded to the Prince's demands for more territory, a larger army, and funnier jesters. Accede can also be used for everyday situations. If you accede to your mother's request that you come home before ten, it means you'll be missing that midnight movie with your friends. Accede comes from the Latin accedere, meaning to "approach or enter upon." It differs slightly from concede, which also means consent, but a more reluctant kind. If you were to concede to your mom's 10 PM curfew rather than accede to it, you'd be doing so against your will.
Vocabulary lists containing accede
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After both sides went back and forth with proposals, Amodei on Feb. 26 said publicly that the company was declining the Defense Department’s latest offer and couldn’t accede to its requests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
"These threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request," Amodei said.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026
"These threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request," Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
Thursday, Amodei doubled down on his objections, saying that while the company continues to negotiate and wants to work with the Pentagon, “we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
Victoria Forester, however, was used to having her own way, and, if all else failed, or even if it did not, she would appeal to her father, and he would accede to her demands.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
After major newspapers acceded to Kaczynski’s demand that they publish his 35,000-word “manifesto” in 1995, the bombings stopped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
His fellow diplomats acceded, but that says nothing about what Golani does.
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2024
Xi acceded to U.S. requests on other issues, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2023
In a statement, it said its forces at Al Shifa had acceded to a request from its director to "expand and assist" in further voluntary evacuations via a "secure route".
From Reuters ● Nov. 18, 2023
Fie continued to provide Segre with metal scraps and even acceded to Segre’s request to irradiate a quantity of uranium oxide mailed from Italy so that he could continue searching for nuclear reactions.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
In response, Samsung's management said the talks failed because "acceding to the labour union's excessive demands would risk undermining the fundamental principles of the company's management".
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
The apartheid government under President F.W. de Klerk dismantled its nuclear weapons and associated facilities in an orderly process—before acceding to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026
Despite not acceding to the family’s request for life sentences, they said they were happy with the outcome and that justice had been served.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2024
It is the world we are acceding to inhabit.
From Slate ● May 8, 2024
A few years prior, Mrs. Piatigorsky had been criticized in some quarters for not acceding to Fischer’s demands for the 1963 tournament, which had led to his not playing.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
