cede the field
Abandon the contest
To cede the field is to withdraw from a competition, conflict, or area of activity, leaving it to others.
The expression comes from military contexts where retreating forces literally abandon a battlefield to the enemy.
In modern use, it applies broadly to any situation where someone stops contesting something: After years of declining sales, the company ceded the field to its rivals.
The phrase implies strategic or forced retreat rather than mere disinterest.
- back downWithdraw from a stance
- give groundRetreat from a position
- back offStop pressing someone
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
- wave the white flagAcknowledge defeat formally
raise the white flag · retreat · beat a retreat · defeat · capitulate · cry uncle · abdicate · withdraw · walk away · bow out · concession · relinquish · stand aside · cave in · abandonment · chicken out · cut and run · forsake
cede the fieldstand one's ground
Refuse to back down
hold the line · stay the course · dig in · stick it out · persevere
cede the fieldtake the field
Enter active competition
win the day · triumph · prevail · carry the day · dominate
cede the fieldresist
Oppose or refuse compliance
defy · hold out · fight back · push back · stand firm
cede, field, ceded, ceding, cession, cessions, secede, concede, conceded