surrender 1 of 2

1
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress the toddler surrendered the doll to her mother after a brief struggle the commander surrendered the garrison without having fired a single shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4
5
as in to capitulate
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, thus ending the Civil War

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

6
as in to indulge
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly laid-off workers who surrender themselves to despair will almost certainly never regain their footing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

surrender

2 of 2

noun

as in submission
the usually forced yielding of one's person or possessions to the control of another the police demanded the surrender of all hostages as a condition for allowing the hijackers safe passage out of the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surrender different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surrender are abandon, relinquish, resign, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

In what contexts can abandon take the place of surrender?

While the synonyms abandon and surrender are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

When might relinquish be a better fit than surrender?

The synonyms relinquish and surrender are sometimes interchangeable, but relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

When would resign be a good substitute for surrender?

The words resign and surrender are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When can waive be used instead of surrender?

The meanings of waive and surrender largely overlap; however, waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

When is it sensible to use yield instead of surrender?

In some situations, the words yield and surrender are roughly equivalent. However, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of surrender
Verb
But whatever form the next knee-jerk grievance takes, the NFL isn’t about to surrender the bag just because a bunch of malcontents threaten to take their custom elsewhere. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025 Court documents also show that one of the conditions for his release was surrendering to immigration for deportation after his imprisonment. Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
In 2024, eight babies were surrendered to Alabama, for instance, four of whom were hospital surrenders and four of whom were left in baby boxes. Alana Semuels, Time, 8 Oct. 2025 There was no immediate response from Israel, which is largely shut down for the Jewish Sabbath, and Hamas’ response fell short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands that the group surrender and disarm. Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for surrender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
  • Sol Price had relinquished his official leadership role, and Robert’s fifteen-year-old son had recently died of cancer, devastating the family.
    Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
  • In Madagascar, Rajoelina has shown no signs of relinquishing power following his removal.
    Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The man who died, whose name has not been released, was reportedly injured during the incident and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, officials said.
    Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • One of the victims succumbed to her injuries.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As a direct result of this, businesses end up with managers who aren’t confident in their ability to lead, and who struggle to deal with the various challenges that come with managing people, leading both employees and struggling managers to resign.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Wall resigned from lobbying for Mooresville BTR a month after the Centralina vote accepting the grant.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • If the video includes content copied from the creator’s channel that does not adhere to fair use guidelines, YouTube suggests also submitting a copyright removal request.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2025
  • His team submitted a 52-page proposal showing the design changes, drawings of the new interior and exterior, and detailed the effect the changes would have on local traffic.
    Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The other people Ye tries to big-foot into indulging his perverse Peter Pan complex fare more poorly.
    Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Whether that’s indulging Wes Anderson’s imagination (as a three-time member of his ever-growing ensemble) or producing her own projects, Johansson always manages to surprise.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omissions, interruption, deletion, defect or delay in operation with transmission, communications, line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or allegation of submissions.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Unfortunately, the Trinbagonian superstar would probably have been better off focusing his efforts on one submission.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • False or deceptive votes and/or acts will render the respective Finalist ineligible.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • If enough satellites are in orbit, this debris could set off a chain reaction, rendering the environment around Earth practically impassable.
    Big Think, Big Think, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The result was comprehensive, with Spain only conceding one goal en route to the 4-0 victory over Italy in the final.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Trump has seesawed over his support for Ukraine, suggesting last week that Kyiv should be ready to concede territory to Russia.
    Chloe Taylor,Tasmin Lockwood,Katrina Bishop,Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on surrender

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!