capitulation

noun

ca·​pit·​u·​la·​tion kə-ˌpi-chə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: a set of terms or articles (see article sense 1c) constituting an agreement between governments

2

a

: the act of surrendering or yielding

the capitulation of the defenders of the besieged town

b

: the terms of surrender

Synonyms of capitulation

• surrender
• submission

Examples of capitulation in a Sentence

her sudden capitulation surprised everyone; she usually debated for hours

Recent Examples on the Web

In any case, the Biden Administration’s grudging acquiescence now looks like the beginning of a pattern of credulous capitulation. — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

The good news is that the brand is still recoverable, avoiding stage 5, capitulation to irrelevance. — Clifford Hudson, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

The longer negotiation can be framed as capitulation, the more that coercive leverage stays in the hands of the security establishment. — Sanam Vakil, Time, 16 July 2026

Reconsideration should not be understood as capitulation to industry or advocacy pressure. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French capitulacion "division into parts, treaty, convention," borrowed from Medieval Latin capitulātiōn-, capitulātiō "dividing into chapters, drawing up heads of agreement" (Late Latin, "listing of subject headings"), from capitulum "heading or division of a document, chapter" + Latin -ātiōn-, -ātiō -ation

Note: The Latin noun is probably in part back-derived from rēcapitulātiō—see recapitulate. For sense development see note at capitulate.

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for capitulation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration