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
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Clay Holmes followed that up Wednesday by lasting four innings (plus two batters) and surrendering four runs.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Surely Putin was in a panic at that point, for had NATO even threatened to take any action—such as blowing up the Kursk bridge and thereby trapping his army in Ukraine—he would have been left with the choice of surrender or all-out intercontinental nuclear war.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Verb
With a game plan geared toward stopping the Chargers’ ground game, KC surrendered 318 passing yards and three touchdowns to Justin Herbert in Week 1.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Clay Holmes followed that up Wednesday by lasting four innings (plus two batters) and surrendering four runs.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
Fumio Kishida, Ishiba’s direct predecessor, did not visit the shrine, although several of his ministers did, including his Defense Minister Minoru Kihara—the first serving defense chief to visit the shrine on the anniversary of Japan’s surrender.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Surely Putin was in a panic at that point, for had NATO even threatened to take any action—such as blowing up the Kursk bridge and thereby trapping his army in Ukraine—he would have been left with the choice of surrender or all-out intercontinental nuclear war.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
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Keeping the agreement with Norris in mind, McLaren intervened in the situation by asking Piastri to relinquish second place to Norris.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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In May 2025, Kraft Heinz announced a strategic review aimed at unlocking shareholder value, and Berkshire Hathaway relinquished its board seats, signaling potential structural changes.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Here are some steps to prevent your team from succumbing to the sense of powerlessness associated with the Great Lock-In trend.—
Juliette Han,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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And when Jîna succumbed to her injuries on September 16, the Shargh reporter Niloofar Hamedi defied orders to keep quiet and told the world about her death in a tweet.—
Fatemeh Jamalpour,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Elizondo resigned and went public in October 2017 after 10 years of running a Pentagon program to investigate UFO sightings.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Along with Monarez, the committee will hear from Debra Houry, the former chief medical officer for the CDC, who resigned—alongside two other high-ranking CDC leaders—upon Monarez's ouster.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In order to advance to the semifinalist round, brands had to submit clinical data backing up their claims.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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The proposal was submitted by Jay Butera, 67, a staunch climate advocate and investor who has held shares in Tesla since the company’s 2010 IPO.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Or indulge with a Steak Plate of grass-fed tri-tip and veggies — or a Mango Goat Cheese or Tri-Tip salad.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Sep. 2025
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The invention of soft serve ice cream around the 1930s really helped stadium goers indulge all that more, opening the opportunity for unique vessels to carry the creation.—
Tim Newcomb,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the Reply AI Film Festival named Love at First Sight by Jacopo Reale, its Grand Prize winner, The AI Film Festival announced winners during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, selecting from over 2,500 submissions from 67 countries.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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This year’s submission pool demonstrated TCCF’s expanding international reach, with entries from 44 nations totaling nearly 700 projects.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This deepening also has an index in the formal features of his poetry—the ambiguity of his pronouns, the firm particularity of his register of images—which teeters between the mundane and the epiphanic, and renders this imbalance itself into view.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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When workers are used as invisible inputs in opaque AI systems that determine hiring, promotions and surveillance protocols, their autonomy can be eroded—and traditional labor rights rendered toothless.—
James Felton Keith,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On the 18th hole of the final match, Nicklaus sank his par putt and then conceded Tony Jacklin’s short par putt, ensuring both the match and the Ryder Cup ended in a tie.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But Democrats have long conceded that the party needs a new vision after voters soundly rejected their presidential ticket last fall, and internal squabbles about the party’s future have spilled out into the public.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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