surrender
verb
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Definition of surrender
(Entry 1 of 2)
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)
: to give oneself up into the power of another : yield
surrender
nounDefinition 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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Synonyms & Antonyms for surrender
Synonyms: Verb
bow, cave (in), give in, submit, succumb, yield
Synonyms: Noun
capitulating, capitulation, cession, handover, relinquishment, rendition, submission, submitting
Antonyms: Verb
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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
One stat from 2017: 27 sacks surrendered, tied for the seventh fewest in the NFL. — Edward Lee, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens 2018 position-by-position breakdown: offensive line," 13 July 2018 Santiago surrendered to law enforcement immediately and admitted shooting the victims, according to the FBI. — Tonya Alanez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deputies were at a party when Fort Lauderdale airport shooting began, says widow's lawsuit," 12 July 2018 Gifford surrendered to authorities a few days later. — Andres Picon, BostonGlobe.com, "N.H. man accused of breaking into apartment, leaving child pornography behind," 6 July 2018 The 2013 team surrendered a league-low 172 passing yards per game — a ridiculous figure in this period of prodigious passing offense — while picking off 28 passes (and allowing just 16 TDs). — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "As Seahawks' Legion of Boom disbands, is it time to anoint it NFL's greatest secondary?," 3 July 2018 Weinstein, 66, surrendered to police in May, and he was marched in handcuffs past a throng of reporters outside the New York Police Department’s 1st Precinct. — Richard Winton, latimes.com, "Harvey Weinstein is indicted again. The new charges could bring a life sentence," 2 July 2018 Kingsland Police Officer Zechariah Presley surrendered Wednesday to the Camden County Sheriff’s Office after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation obtained warrants for his arrest. — NBC News, "Georgia officer who shot fleeing black man charged with voluntary manslaughter," 28 June 2018 And what does that bloody arm symbol mean to him now, in the era where Donald Trump is president and the law has surrendered to his will? — Adam Fisher, WIRED, "A Landmark Legal Shift Opens Pandora’s Box for DIY Guns," 10 July 2018 The picnic was for Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865 — two months after the Confederate army surrendered, ending the Civil War, and three years after the Emancipation Proclamation. — Otis R. Taylor Jr., SFChronicle.com, "Oakland city politics: Running against Desley Brooks? You may run a risk," 22 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The ‘bark orders, impose punishments, and bully friends and enemies into surrender to the mighty, imperial me’ approach to foreign policy is unlikely enough to work even when applied to relatively weak states like North Korea and Iran. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump’s go-it-alone approach to foreign policy angers allies, benefits adversaries," 25 May 2018 Rathika held out for two weeks before surrendering to the Tigers, only months before their own surrender in the spring of 2009. — Longreads, "A Chance to Rewrite History: The Women Fighters of the Tamil Tigers," 22 May 2018 Officers made contact with the suspect, who was armed with a handgun and attempted to negotiate his peaceful surrender. — Mark Price, charlotteobserver, "NC police shoot man holding Harris Teeter staff hostage during standoff," 13 July 2018 On the screen, numbers indicate key images, and tapping on one will summon information that explains what the image represents and provides an eyewitness account of the surrender. — Alice George, Smithsonian, "The American Revolution Was Just One Battlefront in a Huge World War," 28 June 2018 The Japanese signed terms of surrender on the ship’s deck on Sept. 2, 1945, ending World War II. — Scott Harrison, latimes.com, "From the Archives: The battleship Missouri returns to Long Beach," 25 May 2018 The very public nature of his surrender, from using the main entrance to the timing, suggests prosecutors are trying to send a message. — CBS News, "Harvey Weinstein has turned himself in. What's next?," 25 May 2018 However, many observers outside the investigation are unsatisfied with this declaration of surrender. — Jeff Wise, Popular Mechanics, "What If They Were Looking for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the Wrong Place All Along?," 8 June 2018 When James has the hot hand, the opponents' only recourse is signing the articles of surrender. — Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers 2018: On LeBron James' fadeaway, Boston Celtics' resurgence -- Bill Livingston," 12 May 2018These 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.
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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
nounEnglish 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
\
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
nounKids 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 verbLegal 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
: to give oneself up
surrender
nounLegal 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
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