as in surrender
the usually forced yielding of one's person or possessions to the control of another
the tug-of-war will continue until the capitulating of one side or the other
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in succumbing
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
one side finally capitulated when it became clear that they couldn't win the argument
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surrendering
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
the city reluctantly capitulated to the invaders after a three-day siege
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of capitulating
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
In parts of Caracas and several interior regions, hardline Chavista groups have publicly denounced the government’s energy agreements with American firms and accused the leadership of capitulating to foreign interests.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Faubus, the son of a Socialist, ended up capitulating to Confederate sympathies, as many segregationist Southern Democrats did, to appeal to his base.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 4 Apr. 2026
Trump continues to insist that the Islamic Republic is close to capitulating in negotiations with the White House, but refuses to provide details of the talks.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 29 Mar. 2026
The criticism extended beyond Capitol Hill, with prominent MAGA voices on social media also accusing Thune of capitulating to Democrats on one of the movement's core priorities.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Iran has so far shown no sign of capitulating to the American-Israeli assault, despite the killings of its supreme leader and other senior officials.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
One of my strongest convictions, prior to capitulating to Coffee Meets Bagel and Tinder, was that the means by which a couple met constituted a vital component of their love story.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
The willingness to settle the suit was largely seen as Paramount capitulating to Trump in order to get government approval of its merger with Skydance Media.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
After capitulating against the Timberwolves, the Nuggets must take a step back, trade away Cam Johnson and Aaron Gordon, and load up for a three-year run in Jokic’s final sprint starting in 2029.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
In parts of Caracas and several interior regions, hardline Chavista groups have publicly denounced the government’s energy agreements with American firms and accused the leadership of capitulating to foreign interests.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Faubus, the son of a Socialist, ended up capitulating to Confederate sympathies, as many segregationist Southern Democrats did, to appeal to his base.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 4 Apr. 2026
Trump continues to insist that the Islamic Republic is close to capitulating in negotiations with the White House, but refuses to provide details of the talks.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 29 Mar. 2026
The criticism extended beyond Capitol Hill, with prominent MAGA voices on social media also accusing Thune of capitulating to Democrats on one of the movement's core priorities.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Iran has so far shown no sign of capitulating to the American-Israeli assault, despite the killings of its supreme leader and other senior officials.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
One of my strongest convictions, prior to capitulating to Coffee Meets Bagel and Tinder, was that the means by which a couple met constituted a vital component of their love story.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
The willingness to settle the suit was largely seen as Paramount capitulating to Trump in order to get government approval of its merger with Skydance Media.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for capitulating
Noun
-
Often at odds with orthodoxy, this branch of Islam looks at the relationship between the divine and the self through the lens of surrender, to the point where one’s own identity dissolves.—
Arman Khan,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
-
Around two weeks later, Pattilingam would be present at Papa Rao’s surrender in front of the cameras.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The Spurs got off just three field goal attempts while succumbing to the Knicks’ defensive pressure.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
Avoid succumbing to a conspiracy theory or problematic spiritual philosophy as Mercury and Neptune square off.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Negotiators were able to contact O'Brien via phone, eventually leading to his surrendering himself.—
Reg Chapman,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
The 49ers did it in March, surrendering a third-round draft pick to the Dallas Cowboys, who had a surplus of starting defensive tackles after last season’s trades for Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
8 June 2026
-
There are two public submission windows for the 2026-2027 Nicholl Fellowships.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
And the data made for bleak reading given Liverpool’s slow starts and habit of conceding damaging late goals, which pointed to issues with both fitness and mentality.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
-
With more than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson pulled his starters, effectively conceding the series as the Knicks turned the final minutes into a celebration.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Should the center end up with 40 hours of weekly operation, staff and CRG members would be tasked with submitting a proposal on how to use the hours.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Reporting teams have held back on submitting story pitches about important news topics out of fear of the internal repercussions.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The owner, Kenneth Howell has been locked in an acrimonious battle with the city of Boise for years, after Boise staff raised concerns over temporary shoring posts bowing under the building’s weight and a crumbling facade, among other safety issues staff highlighted.—
Darin Oswald,
Idaho Statesman,
3 June 2026
-
Target, too, recently found itself in the cultural crosshairs after bowing to external pressure to scrap its DEI policies.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Capitulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/capitulating. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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