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sur·ren·der | \ sə-ˈren-dər 
\
\surrendered; surrendering\ sə-ˈren-d(ə-)riŋ \
\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 for surrender
Synonyms: Verb
- cede,
- cough up,
- deliver,
- give up,
- hand over,
- lay down,
- relinquish,
- render,
- turn in,
- turn over,
- yield
Synonyms: Noun
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb From Week 5 to Week 12 -- a stretch of seven games -- the Colts surrendered just 17.7 points per game, the sixth-best mark in the NFL.
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Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: A step-by-step examination of Chris Ballard's offseason to-do list," 5 Jan. 2020 The sweet guinea pig was recently surrendered to the Arizona Humane Society, along with a few siblings, after his previous owner had too many to take care of.
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Arizona Republic, azcentral, "Huckleberry and more pets up for adoption in Phoenix-area shelters this week," 3 Jan. 2020 Terrance Summerville, 55, surrendered to a SWAT unit at his apartment in the complex and was taken to Lew Sterrett Jail.
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Hayat Norimine, Dallas News, "Suspect arrested in fatal stabbing at Far North Dallas apartment, police say," 1 Jan. 2020 After the appeals ruling, Dibee, 52, surrendered to federal authorities in Seattle.
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oregonlive, "Appeals court orders alleged eco-saboteur Joseph M. Dibee returned to custody, overruling release decision," 20 Dec. 2019 Ragland must surrender to whatever facility the Bureau of Prisons identifies in the coming weeks.
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Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Menomonee Falls retiree, 72, gets prison for evading more than $1 million in taxes," 18 Dec. 2019 The wrist surrendered to the bracelet and the watch.
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The Economist, "The buzz around AirPods," 18 Dec. 2019 The hunters, Michael Lee Potter and Kevin Sharp, voluntarily surrendered their professional hunting licenses to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, according to a Botswana Government release Saturday.
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Fox News, "Botswana cancels hunters' licenses following controversy over killing protected elephant," 15 Dec. 2019 The market later surrendered some of its gains, though, and closed at 28,132.05, up almost 221 points or 0.8 percent.
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David J. Lynch, Anchorage Daily News, "White House, Chinese negotiators reach trade deal in principle that would dramatically cut tariffs," 13 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War from 1862 until its surrender in 1865.
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Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, "Two Virginia Democrats want to replace the Robert E. Lee statue in the U.S. Capitol," 23 Dec. 2019 Peterson, who flew in the war’s Pacific theater, fought in Iwo Jima and was one of thousands of pilots who circled over Tokyo Bay as Japan began its surrender.
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Cristóbal Reyes, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando honors World War II vets in 20th Veterans Day parade," 9 Nov. 2019 Officers contacted him on the top floor of the parking garage, but were unable to negotiate his surrender, police said.
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Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, "Friday night death of Boulder homicide suspect being investigated as officer-involved shooting," 2 Nov. 2019 The government eventually claimed that its surrender had, in fact, averted a massacre.
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The Economist, "Lessons from a shootout in Sinaloa," 24 Oct. 2019 His release has sparked a dispute between Hong Kong and Taiwan on how to handle his surrender.
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Amy Gunia / Hong Kong, Time, "The Murder Suspect Whose Case Sparked the Hong Kong Protests Has Walked Free," 24 Oct. 2019 His surrender came after a conference call with his lawyer, the police commissioner and the district attorney.
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Faith Karimi, CNN, "Sniper, ambush and standoffs: Officers shot in five states over the past week," 22 Aug. 2019 But negotiations faltered after the United States rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of the North's nuclear capabilities at Kim's second summit with Trump in Vietnam in February.
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Arkansas Online, "North Korea conducts another test at long-range rocket site," 14 Dec. 2019 Nuclear negotiations faltered after a February meeting between Trump and Kim in Vietnam broke down when the U.S. side rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
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Kim Tong-hyung, SFChronicle.com, "North Korea derides Trump as ‘erratic’ as nuclear talks remain stalled," 9 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese 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
verbEnglish 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
verbsur·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
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 verbsur·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
: 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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Time Traveler for surrender
The first known use of surrender was in the 15th century
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