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
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Recent Examples of capitulating
Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
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
Verb
Pencov texted Tate once more before capitulating.
—Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for capitulating
Noun
-
Crisis negotiators were able to contact O'Brien via phone, eventually leading to his surrender.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Trump, recognizing that America has suffered a historic defeat, has abandoned his demands for unconditional surrender, and is trying to buy his way out with a memorandum of understanding that reportedly promises Tehran billions of dollars to restore the status quo ante.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Suddenly, Marjane succumbing to sorrow became achingly comprehensible.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Sirianni, 45, a hypercompetitive hothead who has conspicuously engaged with players (in Eagles and opposing jerseys), coaches (Eagles and opposing), fans (same) and officials, wants to be a mature person who can rein in his emotions, but not at the expense of surrendering his essence.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Filling this time with meetings (or low-yield tasks) means surrendering the hours best suited for deep work and strategic thinking to reactive demands.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Maine’s submission included a bone from the endangered North Atlantic right whale.—
Holly Ramer,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
Molaei said that the laboratory is seeing around 150 tick submissions daily, which is a new record for the state’s tick testing program.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Panama outshot, outpassed and outpossessed Ghana in its first game but came away with nothing after conceding a goal in stoppage time, leaving the Central Americans still looking for their first World Cup win.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
Haiti, ranked 83rd and back in the World Cup after five decades, lost 1-0 to Scotland in a decent performance in its opener, but then was no rival for five-time champion Brazil, conceding three first-half goals before improving to hold its ground in the second half of a 3-0 loss.—
Tales Azzoni,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Chiarella felt the onscreen passion between Bird and Clausen early on, when the pair was just submitting self-tapes.—
William Earl,
Variety,
19 June 2026
-
This data collection is required before submitting a construction permit application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
His coworker once spotted a fan on their knees, bowing toward the entrance gate near the property.—
Leah Willingham,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
-
Season 7 was a huge hit in France, bowing to a 37% share in the 4-14 demographic.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Capitulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/capitulating. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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