concede
/kən'si:d/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (Transitive):
- To admit that something is true or valid, often after initially resisting or denying it.
- To grant or yield a point, right, or privilege to someone else.
- In competitive contexts, to acknowledge defeat or loss.
Verb (Intransitive):
- To make a concession; to yield or give in, especially in an argument or contest.
Usage
- Transitive Verb: Used with a direct object (e.g., a point, a game, a right).
- Structure: concede + [noun/that-clause]
- Intransitive Verb: Used without a direct object, often in the context of ending a competition.
- Structure: concede + (optional prepositional phrase, e.g., "to an opponent").
Examples
- Transitive Verb:
- He finally conceded the argument when presented with the evidence.
- The company conceded that there was a fault in their product.
- The champion conceded the match due to injury.
- Intransitive Verb:
- After trailing by 20 points, the team decided to concede.
- The politician conceded gracefully after the election results were clear.
Advanced Usage
- "Concede defeat": To formally or publicly admit that one has lost.
- The candidate was forced to concede defeat.
- "Concede a goal/point": In sports, to allow the opposing team or player to score.
- The defense was weak and conceded two early goals.
- Used in formal debate or negotiation to show intellectual honesty by accepting a valid point from the opposing side.
- "I'll concede that your proposal has some merit, but I still have concerns about the cost."
Variants and Related Words
- Concession (n): The act of conceding; something that is granted or admitted.
- As a concession, they agreed to lower the price.
- Concessive (adj): Expressing concession (often used in grammar, e.g., a concessive clause like "although").
- "Although" is a concessive conjunction.
Synonyms
- Admit: To acknowledge something, often reluctantly.
- Grant: To agree to give or allow something.
- Yield: To give way to arguments, demands, or pressure.
- Surrender: To give up completely.
- Confess: To admit, especially to a fault or crime.
Antonyms
- Deny: To state that something is not true.
- Contest: To oppose or dispute.
- Refute: To prove a statement or theory to be wrong.
- Win: To be successful in a contest.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- Concede ground: To yield or give up a position, either literally or in an argument.
- Under pressure, the negotiators began to concede ground on key issues.
- Concede nothing: To refuse to yield or admit any point.
- The lawyer advised her client to concede nothing during the deposition.
Verb
- acknowledge defeat
- The candidate conceded after enough votes had come in to show that he would lose
- give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another
- be willing to concede
- I grant you this much
- admit (to a wrongdoing)
- She confessed that she had taken the money