1Go or move back or further away from a previous position.

1. 1.1 (of a quality, feeling, or possibility) gradually diminish.
   the prospects of an early end to the war receded

   Example sentencesExamples

   • With the tinted lenses blocking out the worst of the bright sunlight, her headache receded to its previous dull ache.
   • I could not believe that he would keep this up and that once his grief receded a little, then so would his anger.
   • A truce with a leading militant group a few months ago ran into trouble, with hopes of peace receding in South Asia's most troubled area.
   • The prospect of raising additional funding is also receding fast.
   • Bear in mind that little annoyances do not recede with time; they just become bigger annoyances.
   • The threat of a tube strike over anti-terrorist safety measures receded today when a drivers' union decided not to ballot for industrial action.
   • The cost of fixed-rate mortgages is coming down as the threat of a rise in interest rates recedes - and that's good news for the many thousands of borrowers who are coming to the end of a cheap fixed deal.
   • Those mysterious years of coldness receded into the background as our children grew up and moved on.
   • As fear of the Soviets receded in the 1970s, the United States and its NATO allies achieved a détente of their own.
   • The pain receded after what seemed like an eternity, fading to a throbbing.
   • Give yourself a little time to let the sadness recede and then make a decision.
   • Thanks to environmental advocacy over the past decade, the threat of industrial pollution has receded slightly.
   • Public tumults and tragedies, even ones as dreadful as that of September 11, gradually recede into the past and become less emotionally fraught for all of us.
   • The war on terrorism continued in 2003 but the insecurity of the previous year receded, allowing Americans to return to a more normal pattern of travel at home and abroad.
   • Just as the trauma of my previous imprisonment receded, the financial reality began to kick in.
   • People who were hanging on in the hope of benefiting from a cash injection of some kind have seen that possibility recede with the failure of these actions.
   • Alas, the halcyon days have receded, giving way to a cold new era in which executives actually have to earn their personal millions by making real money for their investors.
   • I looked into his kind and intelligent eyes, and instantly all of my doubts receded.
   • I felt his fear recede, replaced instead by a calm, almost drunken stupor.
   • But with each fresh act of violence, that hope recedes.

   Synonyms

   diminish, lessen, grow less, decrease, dwindle, fade, abate, subside, ebb, wane, fall off, taper off, peter out, shrink
2. 1.2 (of a man's hair) cease to grow at the temples and above the forehead.
   his dark hair was receding a little

   Example sentencesExamples

   • His hair was receding at the front and he had a high forehead.
   • He looked like a natural for comedy with his weak chin, receding hairline and a nose that looked as if someone had recently slammed a car door on it.
   • His hairline is receding and he has wrinkles across his forehead.
   • Despite a slightly receding hairline, his ample, glistening night-black hair remained full and healthy.
   • His hairline was receding, making his face look longer.
   • He is of a medium build and has short grey receding hair and a moustache.
   • Quinlan ran one weary hand over his short-cropped, receding black hair.
   • The man was described as white, skinny, 5ft 5in, in his early 30s, with mousey brown receding hair.
   • As I neared them, I could see that the man's blonde hair was receding and he was dressed rather conservatively.
   • Nowadays, however, more and more men are shaving their heads whether their hairlines are receding or not.
   • The witness is described as being around 6ft tall, with dark receding hair.
   • Do they suffer from receding hair, facial scars or other disfigurations?
   • The image shows a slightly chubby-faced man with receding, dark cropped hair, tanned skin and stubble.
   • The similarities between the two men are stark - the same strong jaw, angular features and receding hairline.
   • He is 5ft 6in, slim, with short, brown, receding hair.
   • Those with receding hairlines should not worry - the benefits of this research will not be restricted to the more hirsute in the population as there are plenty of hair follicles elsewhere on the body.
   • Moonlight was glinting off Olli Rehn's receding hairline.
   • His white hair has receded; his stomach is bulkier; his English has improved.
   • His silvery hairline was receding and he really needed a shave.
   • The honest depiction seemed to emphasize his worst features: his big nose, the dark circles under his eyes, his slightly receding hairline.
3. 1.3 (of a man) begin to go bald at the temples or above the forehead.
   Fred was receding a bit

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Is your dad bald or receding?
   • I told you you were not going bald - receding maybe, but not going bald.
4. 1.4 (of a facial feature) slope backward.
   his chin receded sharply from his lower lip

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Few people realize that a receding chin is quite easily amenable to corrective surgery.
   • Their skulls, while perhaps round-faced with high cheekbones, also have a low receding brow not characteristic of Native Americans.
   • Use a beard to minimize a soft or receding or overly prominent chin.
   • We have but to compare these lines with the skulls of the Egyptians, Kurds, and the heroic type of heads in the statues of the gods of Greece, to see that there was formerly an ancient race marked by a receding forehead.
   • You might be self-conscious about a feature such as a receding chin or a large nose, which makes the face look unbalanced, or maybe mother nature simply didn't give you quite what you wanted.
5. 1.5recede fromarchaic Withdraw from (an undertaking, promise, or agreement).
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Within a few months of his swearing the oath that he was to break in so many ways, the President receded from both these pledges.
   • Some purchasers have warned they would consider receding from the contract if the company fails to deliver the planes in the near term.
   • Should you unilaterally decide to recede from the internship agreement 20 days or more before the start date of internship, you forfeit an administrative fee of €200.

   Synonyms

   pull out of, back out of, beg off, bow out of, scratch from