ceder
verbCEFR B2
What does “ceder” mean in English?
to yield, to concede
to yield, to concede (ceder — give way in a dispute or negotiation; also: give up ground)
Example sentences
Después de semanas de negociación, una de las partes cedió y aceptó las condiciones del otro lado.
After weeks of negotiation, one of the parties yielded and accepted the other side's conditions.
El partido gobernante tuvo que ceder en varios puntos clave para conseguir el apoyo necesario.
The governing party had to give ground on several key points to secure the necessary support.
La estructura cedió bajo el peso del agua acumulada tras las intensas lluvias de la noche anterior.
The structure gave way under the weight of the water accumulated after the heavy rainfall the previous night.
How to use it
Ceder means 'to yield', 'to give way', or 'to concede'. Intransitive: ceder en una negociación (give ground in a negotiation), el puente cedió (the bridge gave way). Transitive: ceder el paso (yield the way), ceder el turno (yield the floor). At B2, the negotiation sense is central: after resistance, one party yields. Near-synonyms: claudicar (capitulate — stronger, implies complete surrender), conceder (concede — often more specific, concede a point), rendirse (surrender — more complete).
Common mistake
Ceder (give way/yield) is partial — you concede something but may continue negotiating. Rendirse (surrender) is total. Claudicar is formal and implies disgraceful capitulation. Ceder el paso (yield the right of way) is a traffic/protocol formula. 'Yield results' in the agricultural/financial sense = producir, not ceder.