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

Examples of surrender in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Yields on fellow safe-haven asset, the 10-year U.S. Treasury, were meanwhile surrendering some gains early on Wednesday after marching to a three-month high at the start of the week. Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024 The Yankees took the lead and never surrendered it. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
The owner signed a surrender form for the dogs and Indianapolis Animal Care Services euthanized them the same day as the attack. Yasmeen Saadi, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Oct. 2024 As of now, Adams and the feds have not negotiated any type of surrender. NBC News, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for surrender 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
  • Their father died and their mother eventually relinquished parental rights.
    Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2024
  • He’s relinquished almost all aspects of life to devices up to and including giving Gromit — Wallace’s eminently capable, permanently skeptical best friend — a pat on his head.
    Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • After being taken to Delta Memorial Hospital for treatment, Gilmore succumbed to his injuries, the report states.
    Lena Miano, arkansasonline.com, 3 Nov. 2024
  • Hong Kong and Mainland China bounced around the room in a choppy session, as the former succumbed to late-day selling to close lower while Mainland China held onto gains.
    Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Perhaps this is not the job for a billionaire, concedes Bezos (though without any apparent desire to resign).
    Chloe Berger, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024
  • Caught in the vortex of egos is Cardinal Lawrence (played by a sharp Ralph Fiennes), an Englishman who’d tried to resign recently from his post over his growing doubt about his beliefs, but who was charged by the late pope to lead the conclave anyway.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
    Richard Stacy, The Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2024
  • The horror publication reported Tuesday that the film will be submitted for awards season consideration in such categories as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Even if eliminating sugary junk food and soda at home is not enough to stop you from thinking about them, doing so will give you time to resist your impulse to indulge.
    Andrea Kane, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
  • Just admit you like the fancy smoothies (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) This is more of a rebuttal to all the hate, but just indulge me for a moment.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • The film is France’s official submission for Best International Feature at the Oscars this year and Netflix is giving the film a big awards push, which Maraval notes will continue to help the film’s prospects.
    Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
    Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Unless it’s artistically rendered in a colorful bandanna, that is.
    Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
  • With brown tree snakes frequently entering homes, children—whose lower body masses could render bites far more dangerous—were now at risk.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • But when pressed to acknowledge that some viewers might find that very perfection unsettling, Zemeckis concedes that the effect might require a small leap of imagination.
    Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Foglietta at the hearing conceded that Musk’s removal notice meant the case for now could not be heard in the Court of Common Pleas.
    Dan Mangan, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

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