Concedes

Concedes is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb concede. It means to acknowledge something as true or valid, to admit a point or fact, or to grant a claim or privilege. It can also mean to yield or surrender, especially in situations such as negotiations, disputes, or competitions. In usage, one might say, for example, that a party concedes a point in a debate or that a team concedes a goal during a match.

Etymology and related forms: Concede comes from the Latin concedere, meaning “to grant, yield.” The noun form is concession, and related terms include concede, conceded, and conceding. The word encompasses both intellectual admission (acknowledging an argument) and practical yielding (ceasing to resist or to contest a claim).

Contexts and nuance: In conversation and formal writing, concedes often signals recognition of an opposing argument or a limited admission of truth. In sports, to concede a goal or a point indicates allowing the opponent to score. In law or contracts, conceding liability or a claim denotes acknowledgment of a disputed issue. In politics, a candidate may concede defeat after election results are declared. Concessions can be strategic, used to reduce conflict or to facilitate a settlement, or rhetorical, as part of a broader argumentative technique known as concessio, which acknowledges opposing viewpoints to strengthen one’s own position.

See also: concede, concession, concessive.