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
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers claimed that banning state laws on AI is akin to capitulating to the technology industry at the expense of states’ rights.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 8 Dec. 2025
But the United States gains nothing from Ukraine capitulating to Russia.
—Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Earlier in the year, Chuck Schumer, the Minority Leader, had rallied enough votes to keep the government open and faced a furious backlash from the Democratic base; capitulating again would have been politically intolerable.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Since the beginning of this administration, Silicon Valley’s biggest bosses have appeased the president, capitulating to his every whim — agreeing to pay export taxes, giving away equity to the government, defunding schools for Latino students and ending diversity programs.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Guerrero and his Blue Jays teammates are nowhere close to capitulating, down 2-0 in a best-of-seven format.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Their settlement comes on the heels of figures including Barack Obama and Kamala Harris criticizing corporate executives for capitulating to the administration’s demands.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
But the vote provoked a firestorm from progressive groups and rank-and-file Democrats, who accused him of capitulating without winning concessions.
—Nik Popli, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
New York — On the surface of it, Disney’s plan to invest $1 billion in OpenAI while licensing its characters to Sora looks a bit like Goliath capitulating to David.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers claimed that banning state laws on AI is akin to capitulating to the technology industry at the expense of states’ rights.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 8 Dec. 2025
But the United States gains nothing from Ukraine capitulating to Russia.
—Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
Earlier in the year, Chuck Schumer, the Minority Leader, had rallied enough votes to keep the government open and faced a furious backlash from the Democratic base; capitulating again would have been politically intolerable.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Since the beginning of this administration, Silicon Valley’s biggest bosses have appeased the president, capitulating to his every whim — agreeing to pay export taxes, giving away equity to the government, defunding schools for Latino students and ending diversity programs.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Guerrero and his Blue Jays teammates are nowhere close to capitulating, down 2-0 in a best-of-seven format.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Their settlement comes on the heels of figures including Barack Obama and Kamala Harris criticizing corporate executives for capitulating to the administration’s demands.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
But the vote provoked a firestorm from progressive groups and rank-and-file Democrats, who accused him of capitulating without winning concessions.
—Nik Popli, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for capitulating
Noun
-
The last time the Hoosiers were this close to a football championship, people crowded Miami's Flagler Street to celebrate the Japanese surrender in World War II.—
Larry Seward,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Far better, Beijing’s thinking goes, to scare Taiwan into surrender with drills and other displays of violence.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The man was pronounced dead at the hospital after succumbing to his injuries, according to police.—
Kelsey Brown,
San Antonio Express-News,
4 Jan. 2026
-
After temporarily succumbing to one of his deeply seductive illusions, the Big Other urges him to stop dreaming.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Green Bay has struggled mightily against the run, surrendering an average of 198 rushing yards in the last three games.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The suspect drove around the area before surrendering to police in Atwater Village.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This burger beat out 600,000 fan submissions to get a spot on national menus, according to a press release.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The number of nominees will be proportional to the number of submissions in each genre with at least one nomination for each genre.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ullmark last played for the Senators on December 27 and was pulled in the second period after conceding four goals in 14 shots against the Toronto Maple Leafs.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Matthew Potts, who endured a torrid return to the Test arena on Monday, conceding 58 runs in seven overs, saw his first three balls of the day struck for four.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety is also encouraging impacted customers to contact them by submitting a complaint online or calling 303-866-4967.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
ChatGPT may be a helpful tool to answer questions about complex subjects, but users should verify the accuracy of that information before submitting it to the California labor board.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Give branches and limbs bowing under the weight of snow or ice a helping hand.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The two freestanding units are flanked by wholesale activations in the region, with Stone Island shops-in-shop bowing at Holt Renfrew inside Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Center and at Saks Fifth Avenue, spanning 460 and 300 square feet, respectively.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Capitulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/capitulating. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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