accede

American  

[ak-seed] / ækˈsid /

verb (used without object)

acceded, acceding

1. to give consent, approval, or adherence; agree; assent; to accede to a request; to accede to the terms of a contract.

2. to attain or assume an office, title, or dignity; succeed (usually followed byto ).

   to accede to the throne.

3. International Law. to become a party to an agreement, treaty, or the like, by way of accession.

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accede British  

/ ækˈsiːd /

verb

1. to assent or give one's consent; agree

2. to enter upon or attain (to an office, right, etc)

   the prince acceded to the throne

3. international law to become a party (to an agreement between nations, etc), as by signing a treaty

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Related Words

See agree.

Other Word Forms

• accedence noun
• acceder noun
• nonaccedence noun
• nonacceding adjective
• reaccede verb (used without object)
• unacceding adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei had refused: “We cannot in good conscience accede to their request,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

After months of negotiations hit a wall, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a statement Thursday night that “we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.”

From Slate • Feb. 28, 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

“She didn’t want to be part of the administration, in part because she couldn’t accede to those views. So what has changed is not clear.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2025

Nevertheless, he would accede to my request that he send it to the Proceedings of the National Academy.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• acquiesce