1
as in relinquishing
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
as in succumbing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in resigning
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the aging queen refused to surrender the throne to her increasingly impatient heir
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in submitting
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in falling
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 indulging
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
as in yielding
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in relinquishment
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 surrendering
Brooks Kubena, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
The Chargers puffed their chest, all right, with a defense which allowed just three points in the final two quarters after surrendering points in Denver’s first three possessions.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
There’s something about someone who’s been protecting themselves so much, and then finally surrendering again like that and being so vulnerable.
—Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
The problem for the Ukrainians is that surrendering any ground in Kursk is risky.
—David Axe, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
There’s a not-so-subtle problem, though, as Allen has needed every bit of that production just to go 1-1 in those two games with the Bills surrendering 86 points.
—Austin Mock, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Some experts believe China could try a combination of economic pressure tactics and cyber-coercion to induce Taiwan into surrendering its sovereignty — a digital blockade for a digitally dependent nation.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 16 Dec. 2024
Widely viewed as a safe haven amid political turbulence in the euro zone, the franc has largely resisted surrendering ground despite the SNB’s rate trims.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024
There were also reports of Syrian military troops surrendering in other cities.
—Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
At that time, the Cowboys, in their first full game without Dak Prescott at quarterback, were a dysfunctional team surrendering the league’s third-most rushing yards per game.
—Brooks Kubena, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
The Chargers puffed their chest, all right, with a defense which allowed just three points in the final two quarters after surrendering points in Denver’s first three possessions.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
There’s something about someone who’s been protecting themselves so much, and then finally surrendering again like that and being so vulnerable.
—Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
The problem for the Ukrainians is that surrendering any ground in Kursk is risky.
—David Axe, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
There’s a not-so-subtle problem, though, as Allen has needed every bit of that production just to go 1-1 in those two games with the Bills surrendering 86 points.
—Austin Mock, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Some experts believe China could try a combination of economic pressure tactics and cyber-coercion to induce Taiwan into surrendering its sovereignty — a digital blockade for a digitally dependent nation.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 16 Dec. 2024
Widely viewed as a safe haven amid political turbulence in the euro zone, the franc has largely resisted surrendering ground despite the SNB’s rate trims.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024
There were also reports of Syrian military troops surrendering in other cities.
—Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrendering
Verb
-
For the Thunder to turn a defensive liability into one of the best defenders in all of basketball, without relinquishing a single draft pick, has to go down as one of the biggest steals of the 2024-2025 NBA season.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes,
22 Dec. 2024
-
There’s that relinquishing control of the messaging, though!—
Mikey O'Connell,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The church's front doors lay in pieces, succumbing to the flames and the pressure of the water.—
Noe Padilla,
The Indianapolis Star,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Frey said believes Hoover slipped on the ice, fell to the ground and was unable to get back up before succumbing to harsh weather conditions.—
Craig Shoup,
The Tennessean,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Without Yoon resigning, the opposition party worked to enact impeachment proceedings against the president.—
Leah Sarnoff,
ABC News,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Shortly before resigning, Tavares announced Stellantis would lay off 1,100 Ohio Jeep plant employees, a move that has since been rolled back by the company.—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Residing or working in the country without legal status and submitting false documents to government authorities for a range of benefits or for employment is already a federal crime.—
Ray Stern,
The Arizona Republic,
24 Dec. 2024
-
After submitting those contributions for public matching funds, the Adams campaign raked in an additional $22,000 in taxpayers’ cash off of them, records show.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Just remember to label your edibles clearly and let everyone know the potency before indulging.—
Matt Rozo,
The Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2025
-
In America, self-control is framed as a personal choice — a way to get in shape or prove mental toughness before indulging again.—
Julie Cobalt,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
These prices tend to reflect the higher yielding asking price versus the lower yielding bid price.—
Barnet Sherman,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
-
Net interest income for the quarter was $72.2 million, compared to $62.2 million in the previous year, driven by growth in higher yielding loans, primarily from CCBX.—
Quartz Bot,
Quartz,
8 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
This means that the color rendering under a light source should be as natural as possible compared to daylight.—
Desireé Oostland,
Vogue,
31 Dec. 2024
-
Some celebrities have been accused of operating pump-and-dump schemes with their coins, using their social media following to artificially inflate the value of these coins before cashing in their large holdings and rendering the coins worthless.—
Ben Dandridge-Lemco,
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Though that sentence could also have stopped after four words, the statistics really are bad — conceding around one goal every 10 corners faced.—
Jacob Whitehead,
The Athletic,
3 Jan. 2025
-
No top-flight side has shipped more in this period of a game, with Villa conceding early and late through repeatable scenarios.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Surrendering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrendering. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share