Definition of CAPITULATE

Choose the Right Synonym for capitulate

yield, submit, capitulate, succumb, relent, defer mean to give way to someone or something that one can no longer resist. yield may apply to any sort or degree of giving way before force, argument, persuasion, or entreaty. yields too easily in any argument submit suggests full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another. a repentant sinner vowing to submit to the will of God capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms (as with an adversary) or hopelessness in the face of an irresistible opposing force. officials capitulated to the protesters' demands succumb implies weakness and helplessness to the one that gives way or an overwhelming power to the opposing force. a stage actor succumbing to the lure of Hollywood relent implies a yielding through pity or mercy by one who holds the upper hand. finally relented and let the children stay up late defer implies a voluntary yielding or submitting out of respect or reverence for or deference and affection toward another. I defer to your expertise in these matters

Did You Know?

Capitulate and its synonyms "yield," "submit," and "succumb" all mean to give way to someone or something, with a few slight differences in emphasis. "Yield" may apply to any sort or degree of bowing to force, debate, or pleading ("yields too easily in any argument"). "Submit" suggests surrender, after resistance, to the will or control of another ("a sinner submitting to the will of God"). "Succumb" imputes weakness and helplessness to the person giving in, or an overwhelming power to the opposition ("succumbing to temptation"). "Capitulate" stresses the termination of all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms, as with an adversary, or hopelessness before an irresistible opposing force ("officials capitulated to the demands").

Examples of capitulate in a Sentence

The country still refuses to capitulate despite its weakening army and dwindling resources. The teacher refused to capitulate: no calculators were to be used during the exam.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Canadian negotiators, who have a reputation for intransigence dating back to the original trade deal with the U.S. in 1988, didn’t capitulate. — Greg Ip, WSJ, "New Nafta Shows Limits of ‘America First’," 3 Oct. 2018 Console players everywhere are rejoicing with the news that after months of bullish denials, Sony capitulated and will soon allow PS4 players to link up with people on Xbox, Switch, and mobile platforms — at least for select third-party games. — Patricia Hernandez, The Verge, "Fortnite cross-play on PS4 ushers in a new era of the console wars," 26 Sep. 2018 Afterward, Trump claimed that NATO allies had capitulated to him and agreed to spend more on defense — a claim disputed by, among others, French President Emmanuel Macron. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The Trump-Putin meeting reveals how Trump is killing American power.," 16 July 2018 In total, Trump has threatened tariffs on up to $450 billion of Chinese products if Beijing refuses to capitulate. — New York Times, BostonGlobe.com, "Trade war with China looms as midnight tariff deadline approaches," 6 July 2018 There was an air of sluggishness and complacency about the Red Devils, who seemed genuinely surprised that the bottom club actually competed with them and refused to capitulate. — SI.com, "An Ode to West Brom's (Almost) Saviour Darren Moore - Hero of the 2017/18 Premier League Season," 14 May 2018 And the pro-climate change was so compelling, the other guys capitulated. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "How to make a big company more innovative," 30 Nov. 2018 This being Donald Trump’s Washington, many want to interpret all this as a sign that Mr. Powell is capitulating to the President’s loud criticism of higher rates. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Fed’s Welcome Rethink," 28 Nov. 2018 Rumors of such a challenge intensified Wednesday, led by pro-Brexit conservatives who feel that May capitulated to the EU. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Theresa May gets cabinet approval for her draft Brexit deal," 14 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'capitulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.