raise the white flag

idiom

: to admit defeat
They raised the white flag soon after the election results came in.

Examples of raise the white flag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sports transfers allowed The final rule change in which members voted to raise the white flag of surrender on transfers came in April 2017. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023 Nazis Surrender at Stalingrad Facing dwindling supplies, a cruel Russian winter, and an unbreakable Soviet defense, German soldiers raise the white flag. Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2016 And while their playoff chances remain slim, Doug Wilson was careful not to raise the white flag and send the message a general manager never wants with 15 games remaining. Ross McKeon, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raise the white flag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Raise the white flag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raise%20the%20white%20flag. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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