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
Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Michael Busch drove an elevated fastball into the seats, the first extra-base hit Sasaki had surrendered all season.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Made By History, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
For him, only two options are on the table: Hamas’s total surrender and the expulsion of its leadership from Gaza, or the continuation of the war until the Israeli military achieves that same outcome.
—Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Verb
Conservatives, such as Hawley, Senator Tom Cotton, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have criticized surrendering civic reasoning to markets and called for a capitalism that enlists markets to serve families, not the other way around.
—Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Michael Busch drove an elevated fastball into the seats, the first extra-base hit Sasaki had surrendered all season.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
Far from proposing lenient surrender terms to exonerate the Confederates, Grant did so in an effort to change their hearts and minds.
— Made By History, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
For him, only two options are on the table: Hamas’s total surrender and the expulsion of its leadership from Gaza, or the continuation of the war until the Israeli military achieves that same outcome.
—Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
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Fittingly posted on a Wednesday (April 23), the two-minute preview opens with Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday making her way back to Nevermore Academy, a journey that involves the teenager reluctantly relinquishing her many weapons to TSA agents at an airport.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
23 Apr. 2025
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But the Trump administration is now relinquishing its influence over the multilateral system, preferring instead to handle countries one by one, transaction by transaction.—
Ngaire Woods,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Day 3, morning: A nation on edge, a family at ease The Sanders family never succumbed to negativity in the public throughout the historic slide and cruel prank.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Firefighter Hoffman, succumbed to his injuries in the intensive care unit.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Keesee resigned from his position at the church in August.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Sassoon, who replaced U.S. Attorney Damien Williams in the Southern District of New York, declined to drop the case against Adams and resigned.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Anonymous tips can be submitted at ManateeCrimestoppers.com.—
Michael Moore Jr.,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian’s title reign.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In any event, a square between the sun and your celestial ruler, Mars, on April 20, creates tension between your desire to indulge and have fun versus the reality of your financial responsibilities.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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The pet-friendly hotel indulges guests with a rooftop terrace, a library bar, and accommodations that range from cozy rooms to three-bedroom suites.—
Cameron Sperance,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As part of his tightening grip on power, and his assault on 200-plus years of checks and balances, President Trump has bludgeoned some of the nation’s leading law firms into shameful submission, extracting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of free legal work for his pet causes.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
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This budget is not a final submission and anything that is submitted would need the approval of Congress to be implemented.—
Nathaniel Weixel,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As Google points out, these products have had a long life, and they're not being rendered totally inoperable.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2025
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The ability to render the real world using charcoal is utter trickery.—
Emily Wilson,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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While results at the time tasted similar to the real thing, its inventors conceded that the texture didn’t quite work.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
24 Apr. 2025
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Berlin has changed a lot since Soho House opened here, Bryan conceded, when asked how the organization keeps its cachet after all these years.—
Cathrin Schaer,
Footwear News,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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