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
as in to succumb
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
the father refused to surrender to his son's constant begging for a BB gun
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3
as in to resign
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the aging queen refused to surrender the throne to her increasingly impatient heir
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4
as in to submit
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit)
determined to give up smoking, she so far has not surrendered to her incessant desire to have a cigarette
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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surrender
Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
Johnson’s 18 points are the most the Pioneers have surrendered outside of that Byron contest this season.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 25 Oct. 2025
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The Harvard Lampoon’s ad offered two suggested surrender dates, April Fool’s Day and April 14.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Verb
But Virginia Tech, which fired its coach after losing its first three games this season, rushed for the staggering total of 357 yards, more than Cal had surrendered in any of Wilcox’s previous 99 games over nine seasons in Berkeley.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
Johnson’s 18 points are the most the Pioneers have surrendered outside of that Byron contest this season.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
There is a palpable sense of surrender in the air.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The Harvard Lampoon’s ad offered two suggested surrender dates, April Fool’s Day and April 14.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
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Prior to his takeover, the sister pageants suffered some shakeups, most notably after the 2023 adult and junior winners, Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastav, relinquished their titles.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
This incident comes just days after Prince Andrew relinquished his remaining royal titles.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Unfortunately, Abraham succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Abraham died at the crash site, while Polzin succumbed to her injuries the next day at the hospital.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As a direct result of this, businesses end up with managers who aren’t confident in their ability to lead, and who struggle to deal with the various challenges that come with managing people, leading both employees and struggling managers to resign.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Wall resigned from lobbying for Mooresville BTR a month after the Centralina vote accepting the grant.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Most insurers submitted two sets of premium rates to states this year in case Congress agreed to extend the subsidies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Paramount has submitted its Studio Partner application, a separate process that is under review by the NJ economic development authority and will be brought to its board for consideration on October 30.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ready to indulge your sweet tooth?—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
-
High-protein desserts can be a great way to indulge your sweet tooth, promote satiety (feeling satisfied after eating), balance blood sugar, and support muscle repair.—
Lauren Panoff,
Verywell Health,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This year, the council of 16 judges, comprising photographers, videographers, and social media professionals, reviewed nearly 10,000 submissions from across 108 countries.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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Among the 65 submissions was one that detailed the discovery of a 1930s-era oil can from Fresno that was supposedly uncovered at SDSU during an on-campus building project.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Jenner went with a cohesive look, pairing the light brown boots with a Fendi suit rendered in a rich chocolate hue.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
23 Oct. 2025
-
That said, while each companion’s abilities bring something to the table, they get downed by enemies a lot, which renders their abilities unusable until they can be revived.—
Jason Fanelli,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The result was comprehensive, with Spain only conceding one goal en route to the 4-0 victory over Italy in the final.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Trump has seesawed over his support for Ukraine, suggesting last week that Kyiv should be ready to concede territory to Russia.—
Chloe Taylor,Tasmin Lockwood,Katrina Bishop,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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