receding 1 of 3

adjective

as in retrogressing

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receding

2 of 3

noun

as in hanging

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receding

3 of 3

verb

present participle of recede
1
as in subsiding
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the sound of sirens receded as the fire engines roared off into the distance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in retreating
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) after the rain stops, the floodwaters should gradually recede

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of receding
Verb
The dense blocks of flats receding in Shawn’s side-view mirror were bathed in warm orange light. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 Floodwaters in Thailand ’s capital were slowly receding on Monday after nearly continuous rainfall over the weekend, although some neighborhoods and major roads remained inundated. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026 Consider techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, body scanning, box breathing, or even picturing your thoughts as clouds that are receding into the distance. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026 Sciences Po’s turn reflects a European assumption that, whatever happens in the US elections in 2026 and 2028, the American security umbrella is receding over the long term. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026 With returns exhausted and real wages receding, Luke Tilley, chief economist at M&T Bank and Wilmington Trust, said consumers are drawing on savings. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 In interviews back then, Musk comes off as awkward, a geek in pleated khakis with a receding hairline and uneven teeth. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026 Although fundamental challenges remain that could cause new turbulence, the peak tensions of the past eight years may well be receding. — Da Wei, Foreign Affairs, 7 Sep. 2026 With his hair receding, Jordan shaved his head clean in 1989 and turned the look into one of the most recognisable images in sport. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for receding
  1. stopped
  2. hanging
  3. subsiding
  4. retreating
  5. declivity
  6. decreasing
  7. withdrawing
  8. decline
Adjective
  • The girl with a backpack on could be seen crossing the street while looking at her phone before the stopped truck began moving beside her, in videos obtained by ABC station WPVI and CBS station KYW.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The crash drew a crowd from the stopped traffic, who quickly spread photos and videos of the driver on social media.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopped
Noun
  • All is peaceful under the long, lazy loggia laden with vibrant fuschia bougainvillaea – the Passeggiata dei Monaci – and in the neat orchards low-hanging with fat, bobbly Amalfi lemons.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • What about large holes left from wall hangings or TVs; should they be filled in before closing?
    — Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hanging
Verb
  • Multiple Kelvin waves These waves can bring elevated sea levels for weeks at a time, eventually subsiding before the next wave hits.
    — Zoe Mintz, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Two of them coincide with areas where satellite radar shows that the ground is actively subsiding.
    — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of subsiding
Verb
  • Gabriel Moreno hit an RBI single in the fourth and, after Kyle Hart walked the bases loaded in the sixth, Perdomo cleared them with a double that bounced off the glove of retreating center fielder Jackson Merrill and then off the padded fence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The brand has been retreating by the month back to its roots in Florida.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of retreating
Noun
  • Even after weeks of drying winds, the crackly leaves worked themselves into every corner and declivity.
    — Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Definition of declivity
Verb
  • Academics and researchers have proposed a wide variety of causes for the crisis, like changes in the economy, decreasing social connections, access to firearms, and the pandemic.
    — Darius Tahir, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Overall sales have been on a downward trend since the gallery’s founding, decreasing by about 40 percent over the past three years.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • Smalls is accused of withdrawing over $17,000 in cash and sending money to herself via Cash App on several occasions, according to court documents obtained by WJZ.
    — Michelle Richardson, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • In addition to delaying missile shipments to Tokyo and withdrawing its aircraft carrier from the region, the United States has scaled back or canceled joint military exercises with South Korea.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdrawing
Noun
  • Huawei's push into the smartphone market comes as sales in China have slumped this year, with a double-digit decline year-on-year in August and September, according to Counterpoint Research.
    — Matthew Tan,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The co-CEOs have modeled a cash ramp-up in coming years but meanwhile there’s not a big cushion if churn rises, cable-network declines accelerate, the box office softens again or there’s macroeconomic or geopolitical disruption.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of decline

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Cite this Entry

“Receding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/receding. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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