sur·ren·der
sə-ˈren-dər 
surrendered; surrendering
sə-ˈren-d(ə-)riŋ
1
a
: to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand
surrendered the fort
b
: to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another
2
a
: to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner
b
: to give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence)
: to give oneself up into the power of another : yield
1
a
: the action of yielding one's person or giving up the possession of something especially into the power of another
b
: the relinquishment by a patentee of rights or claims under a patent
c
: the delivery of a principal into lawful custody by bail
called also surrender by bail
d
: the voluntary cancellation of the legal liability of an insurance company by the insured and beneficiary for a consideration
e
: the delivery of a fugitive from justice by one government to another
2
: an instance of surrendering
Synonyms
Examples of surrender in a Sentence
Verb
The enemy finally surrendered after three days of fighting.
The gunman surrendered and was taken into custody.
The troops were forced to surrender the fort.
They were required to surrender their passports.
the surrendering of land to the government
He refused to surrender to despair.
He refused to surrender himself to despair.
Noun
Their surrender was formalized in a treaty.
They demanded an unconditional surrender.
Recent Examples on the Web
Maria Varenikova Nicole Tung, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Fox said Chambers surrendered Thursday in federal court in Cincinnati.
—The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
The home run, extending the Rays’ advantage to 7-1, was the second of the day surrendered by Snell, and Pinto would later add a second against Kai-Wei Teng in the sixth.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
Simpson failed to surrender to police as promised and was declared a fugitive on June 17, 1994.
—Ben Finley, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024
The old sign reads that fees are associated with surrendering an animal, but that is no longer the case — as evidenced by a new sign in the front of the location.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Mizuhara was also ordered to surrender his passport, according to NBC Los Angeles.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 12 Apr. 2024
The 23-year-old Rice surrendered to police and was taken to DeSoto Regional Jail, located south of Dallas, NBC News reports.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
Jones surrendered to police four days after the shooting.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
For younger artists, hip-hop remains an art form about the messy struggle for survival—but Cole’s surrender suggests an approach with less fire, less rudeness, less competitive excellence.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The video showed Ellis with his hands up in a surrender position as Burbank shot a Taser at his chest and Collins wrapped an arm around his neck from behind.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Victory would require either removing Hamas entirely from Gaza or forcing the organization’s surrender.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
As the Kolkata sought the surrender of the pirates, the commandos parachuted in after a 10-hour flight from India, the air force said on X. Rafts were also dropped into the ocean from the large transport for marines to reach the Ruen.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
The boy’s surrender, though foolhardy, is an act of rebellion, of taking reckless chances and throwing caution to the wind.
—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The group will earn £192.5 million ($244 million) by selling half its stake in the office space in addition to Meta’s surrender fee.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 19 Mar. 2024
The moment Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders, is the moment this heartbreaking war ends.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024
Verb
The standoff ended when Ukrainian soldiers, surrounded, ran out of ammunition; more than 2,500 soldiers surrendered.
—Maria Varenikova Nicole Tung, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Fox said Chambers surrendered Thursday in federal court in Cincinnati.
—The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
The home run, extending the Rays’ advantage to 7-1, was the second of the day surrendered by Snell, and Pinto would later add a second against Kai-Wei Teng in the sixth.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
Simpson failed to surrender to police as promised and was declared a fugitive on June 17, 1994.
—Ben Finley, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024
The old sign reads that fees are associated with surrendering an animal, but that is no longer the case — as evidenced by a new sign in the front of the location.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Mizuhara was also ordered to surrender his passport, according to NBC Los Angeles.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 12 Apr. 2024
The 23-year-old Rice surrendered to police and was taken to DeSoto Regional Jail, located south of Dallas, NBC News reports.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
Jones surrendered to police four days after the shooting.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
Simpson and Cowlings arrive at Simpson’s Brentwood home, and negotiations for surrender begin.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
For younger artists, hip-hop remains an art form about the messy struggle for survival—but Cole’s surrender suggests an approach with less fire, less rudeness, less competitive excellence.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The video showed Ellis with his hands up in a surrender position as Burbank shot a Taser at his chest and Collins wrapped an arm around his neck from behind.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Victory would require either removing Hamas entirely from Gaza or forcing the organization’s surrender.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
As the Kolkata sought the surrender of the pirates, the commandos parachuted in after a 10-hour flight from India, the air force said on X. Rafts were also dropped into the ocean from the large transport for marines to reach the Ruen.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
The boy’s surrender, though foolhardy, is an act of rebellion, of taking reckless chances and throwing caution to the wind.
—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The group will earn £192.5 million ($244 million) by selling half its stake in the office space in addition to Meta’s surrender fee.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 19 Mar. 2024
The moment Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders, is the moment this heartbreaking war ends.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surrender.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near surrender
Cite this Entry
“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surrender. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surrender
1 of 2 verb
sur·ren·der
sə-ˈren-dər
surrendered; surrendering
-d(ə-)riŋ
1
: to give over to the power, control, or possession of another especially by force
2
: to give oneself over to something
surrender
2 of 2 noun
: the giving of oneself or something into the power of another person or thing
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