surrender 1 of 2

1
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress the toddler surrendered the doll to her mother after a brief struggle the commander surrendered the garrison without having fired a single shot

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2
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5
as in to capitulate
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, thus ending the Civil War

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6
as in to indulge
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly laid-off workers who surrender themselves to despair will almost certainly never regain their footing

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surrender

2 of 2

noun

as in submission
the usually forced yielding of one's person or possessions to the control of another the police demanded the surrender of all hostages as a condition for allowing the hijackers safe passage out of the country

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word surrender different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surrender are abandon, relinquish, resign, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

In what contexts can abandon take the place of surrender?

While the synonyms abandon and surrender are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

When might relinquish be a better fit than surrender?

The synonyms relinquish and surrender are sometimes interchangeable, but relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

When would resign be a good substitute for surrender?

The words resign and surrender are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When can waive be used instead of surrender?

The meanings of waive and surrender largely overlap; however, waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

When is it sensible to use yield instead of surrender?

In some situations, the words yield and surrender are roughly equivalent. However, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

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 surrender
Verb
The pitcher proceeded to surrender singles to Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 May 2025 The Jayhawks’ starting pitcher, Cooper Moore, surrendered a two-out walk, and North Dakota State followed by scoring runs on a double and single (aided by the aforementioned fielding gaffes). Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2025
Noun
His tariffs aren't about starting trade wars—they're about ending the one-sided surrender that gutted our manufacturing base. Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025 Bailout feature: Enables you to withdraw your investment without facing surrender penalties if the annual interest rate drops below a predetermined minimum rate. Liz Knueven, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for surrender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
  • Despite bipartisan and nearly unequivocal support for Gypsum Canyon in the intervening four years, Agran has refused to relinquish his goal of completing a veterans cemetery in Irvine.
    Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 28 May 2025
  • Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolina museum devoted to African American history as part of a settlement with one of the subjects’ descendants.
    Leah Willingham, Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • Sadly, Verstappen is not the only multiple-time world champion to succumb to such behavior.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2025
  • At the former, Zosia quietly sits with Kiko, who has just succumbed to his gunshot wound.
    Matt Cabral, EW.com, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • Her firing comes after former Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned from her position in 2024 following accusations of academic plagiarism.
    Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
  • The demonstration Tuesday evening in front of Seattle City Hall is expected to call on Harrell to retract his statement, apologize, or resign.
    Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • To submit any news, please email [email protected].
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
  • The council, which met for the first time on May 20, is expected to submit a report of its findings in November.
    Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 May 2025
Verb
  • Their admirably robust menu indulges coastal cravings via seasonal oysters and Gulf shrimp while appeasing land lovers with steakhouse favorites and handmade pastas.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 26 May 2025
  • This multicultural circus indulges the racial stereotyping that should be Hwang’s subject.
    Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • Finally, applications submitted through national job boards typically are never reviewed by a human out of necessity, because there are so many low-quality and/or AI-powered job application bot submissions on those boards.
    Rebecca Fraser-Thill, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • Tuition is $525 for applications submitted by June 30 and $575 for submissions past that date.
    Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • From Feed Hygiene to Discovery Advantage Unlike traditional search ads that appear alongside blue links, AI search ads will be rendered inside conversational answers themselves.
    Kiri Masters, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
  • In fact, without the ocean as a natural buffer, climate change would have already rendered our planet uninhabitable.
    Jenna DiPaolo, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • Conte’s side conceded just 27 goals in 38 league games, the strongest defensive record in Serie A and 18 fewer than Inter.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • Many economists argue that trade deficits do not matter, and even proponents concede that doing so can cause short-term pain.
    Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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