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
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2
as in to succumb
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
the father refused to surrender to his son's constant begging for a BB gun
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3
as in to resign
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the aging queen refused to surrender the throne to her increasingly impatient heir
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4
as in to submit
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit)
determined to give up smoking, she so far has not surrendered to her incessant desire to have a cigarette
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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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surrender
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
And much of that was surrendered to Ted Turner, then went to Warner Bros.
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
Jp Mangalindan, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
There is a palpable sense of surrender in the air.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Verb
Then, through no fault of her own, the new owners surrendered her to Fulton County Animal Services in September because of financial struggles.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
And much of that was surrendered to Ted Turner, then went to Warner Bros.
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
Even in surrender, Mitsuki shows us that survival means little without someone to reach for and something to hold onto.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
There is a palpable sense of surrender in the air.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
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Yet, despite this military setback, the militia in Lebanon shows no intention of relinquishing its weapons.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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Georgia Tech led 17-14 before the Wolfpack’s Cody Hardy scored his second touchdown of the first half, and NC State (5-4, 2-3) never relinquished the lead from there.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After occupying Sinai, Britain and France succumbed to international pressure and withdrew their forces from Egypt in November.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The Hornets succumbed to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 122-105, upping their losing streak to three games on the heels of a trio of spirited outings to begin the 2025-26 campaign.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The International Energy Agency turned out to be less resigned to the things that exist and capped this class of emissions at 5 per cent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Three other special elections were held to fill vacancies left by lawmakers resigning before their terms ended, with two of those advancing to runoffs as no candidate received more than 50 percent.—
Daniel Orton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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To reach that goal, countries submitted their own climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as part of the Paris Agreement.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
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The department is asking witnesses to come forward, and also asks that people who have video of the incident submit it to investigators, both from the incident and from exterior cameras in the area.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ready to indulge your sweet tooth?—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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High-protein desserts can be a great way to indulge your sweet tooth, promote satiety (feeling satisfied after eating), balance blood sugar, and support muscle repair.—
Lauren Panoff,
Verywell Health,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Twice a year, companies put together their submissions—usually, clusters of CPUs and GPUs and software optimized for them—and compete to see whose submission can train the models fastest.—
Dina Genkina,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2025
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Management anticipates a launch in the United States for obesity next year, with a submission for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes sometime in the first half of 2026.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For the monks or clerics, it is presented as a material substance, carried like a sack of gold on the demon’s back; the metaphors used are monetary or economic, as though the monks owe ordered syllables to God instead of the monetary tithe their vows of poverty render unnecessary.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
31 Oct. 2025
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Black can then be found on the tongue and laces, while the midsole is rendered in off-white.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sinclair, Ripley conceded, has experienced the downside of YouTube TV’s growth, including blackouts of its affiliated regional sports networks.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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Fateh conceded the race and congratulated Frey while celebrating the movement his campaign built.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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