surrender

verb

sur·ren·der | \ sə-ˈren-dər

surrendered; surrendering\ sə-ˈren-d(ə-)riŋ

Definition of surrender

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

2a : to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner

b : to give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence)

intransitive verb

: to give oneself up into the power of another : yield

surrender

noun

Definition of surrender (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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

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Choose the Right Synonym for surrender

Verb

relinquish, yield, resign, surrender, abandon, waive mean to give up completely. relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness. relinquished her crown yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force. the troops yielded ground grudgingly resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle. resigned her position surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist. surrendered their claims abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up. abandoned all hope waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion. waived the right to a trial by jury

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: Verb

The group surrendered themselves to agents near Camp Bounds, a base along the New Mexico border staffed by small groups of agents on rotations from official Border Patrol offices. — Dara Lind, Vox, "The death of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin in Border Patrol custody isn’t an isolated outrage," 18 Dec. 2018 Whether documents are surrendered voluntarily or under subpoena, Raftery said the FBI generally allows an agency to make copies. — John O'connor, The Seattle Times, "Illinois agency says it didn’t keep records on inmate death," 27 Aug. 2018 Matt Duffy lined a leadoff double down the right-field line, the fourth two-bagger surrendered by Mets starter Steven Matz to that point, advancing to third on a groundout. — Scott Orgera, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Blake Snell dazzles as Rays blank Mets 3-0," 7 July 2018 Just weeks earlier, thousands of pages of documents were surrendered by the city, which led to further allegations some officers involved in the case had committed perjury. — Angela Helm, The Root, "Chicago PD Settle for $2.5 Million After Police Point Gun at 3-Year-Old," 4 July 2018 Such weapons already in circulation would have to be surrendered to the Police Department by Jan. 1, though there would be a three-month probationary period to comply. — Priscella Vega, latimes.com, "Huntington Beach man seeks $14,385 in legal fees after city sued over his petition for a local gun ban," 4 July 2018 An active, loving dog The sweet chow chow mix was surrendered to the Arizona Humane Society and has started his search for a forever family again at the age of 10. — Arizona Republic, azcentral, "Give one of these Valley rescue pets a forever home this week," 22 June 2018 Marengi’s blasts were two of the just six hits surrendered by Dracut sophomore Patrick Crowley. — Matt Doherty, BostonGlobe.com, "Mike Vasil leads BC High; Franklin advances to Super 8 baseball final," 14 June 2018 The Michigan Humane Society is flooded with kittens that are surrendered each spring and summer after the breeding season. — Joe Guillen, Detroit Free Press, "Too many cute kittens, so Humane Society has 'baby shower'," 10 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Antigovernment activists and a conflict monitor said that the government had not yet driven rebels from the entire city, but that talks were taking place over a surrender deal that would leave the whole city in government hands. — New York Times, "Netanyahu Says Putin Agreed to Restrain Iran in Syria," 12 July 2018 Russia has supported army advances with airstrikes since entering the war in 2015 and has played a role in mediating surrender deals. — NBC News, "Humanitarian crisis escalates with regime airstrikes in southern Syria," 30 June 2018 This, combined with America’s failure to build its own fortified islands in the South China Sea and line their shores with a gauntlet of antishipping missiles, will amount to the de facto surrender of international waters to a covetous competitor. — Mark Helprin, WSJ, "Defining Defense Down," 11 Oct. 2018 Connolly signed a surrender of ownership order after being issued the court summons, Wildoner said. — Fox News, "Woman charged with abandoning her blind and deaf dog," 7 Sep. 2018 The repatriation campaign will begin in earnest once an amnesty allowing the voluntary surrender of assets runs out at the end of next month. — Alan Murray, Fortune, "Bond Bubble, PayPal Woes, Australian Rules: CEO Daily for February 1, 2018," 1 Feb. 2018 Feeling bad for the cancer patient, Froehlich waived the entire $600 surrender fee. — Rebekah L. Sanders, azcentral, "Arizona U-Haul billionaire dumps 7 sick rottweilers on dog rescue in Gilbert," 26 June 2018 The locals were welcoming, and our unplanned time turned out to be a sweet surrender to the joys of wandering. — Alice Short, latimes.com, "Avoiding pain and finding only pleasure in Sicily," 27 May 2018 This doesn’t have to feel like some epic act of surrender. — Bess Matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes August 27-September 2," 20 Aug. 2018

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

History and Etymology for surrender

Verb

Middle English surrendren, from surrendre, noun

Noun

Middle English surrendre, from Anglo-French, from surrendre, susrendre to relinquish, from sur- & sus-, suz under + rendre to give back — more at render, sous

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Statistics for surrender

Last Updated

14 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for surrender

The first known use of surrender was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for surrender

surrender

verb

English Language Learners Definition of surrender

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to agree to stop fighting, hiding, resisting, etc., because you know that you will not win or succeed

: to give the control or use of (something) to someone else

: to allow something (such as a habit or desire) to influence or control you

surrender

noun

English Language Learners Definition of surrender (Entry 2 of 2)

: an agreement to stop fighting, hiding, resisting, etc., because you know that you will not win or succeed : an act of surrendering

: the act of giving the control or use of something to someone else

: the act of allowing yourself to be influenced or controlled by someone or something

See the full definition for surrender in the English Language Learners Dictionary

surrender

verb

sur·ren·der | \ sə-ˈren-dər

surrendered; surrendering

Kids Definition of surrender

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to give up after a struggle The soldiers surrendered. We'll never surrender the fort.

2 : to let go of : relinquish We surrendered our place in line.

surrender

noun

Kids Definition of surrender (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the act of giving up after a struggle

2 : the act of giving something over to the possession or control of someone else

surrender

transitive verb

sur·ren·der

Legal Definition of surrender

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : to yield to the control or possession of another surrender the leased premises surrender collateral to a creditor

b : to give up completely or agree to forgo

c : to cancel (one's insurance policy) voluntarily

2 : to give over to the custody of the law surrender a defendant

intransitive verb

: to give oneself up

surrender

noun

Legal Definition of surrender (Entry 2 of 2)

: an act or instance of surrendering discharge an obligor by surrender of a promissory note especially : the yielding of an estate by a tenant to the landlord so that the leasehold interest is extinguished by mutual agreement