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
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
The Berkshire dilemma reflects a choice of whether to lead or surrender to the impacts of this transformative issue at one America’s most iconic companies led by 94 year-old Warren Buffett.
—Bob Zukis, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Jamie McIntyre, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
But peace through surrender would bring at best a temporary end to the fighting—and, at worst, would lead only to more Russian aggression.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Verb
Columbia surrendered to federal pressure by disclosing student records to Congress and yielding to the Trump administration's latest threats.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
The Berkshire dilemma reflects a choice of whether to lead or surrender to the impacts of this transformative issue at one America’s most iconic companies led by 94 year-old Warren Buffett.
—Bob Zukis, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
The result was that when Biden came in, the Afghan army was broken in spirit, and the Taliban had brokered surrender deals with local Afghan commanders, and only had to wait for the U.S. to leave.
—Jamie McIntyre, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
But peace through surrender would bring at best a temporary end to the fighting—and, at worst, would lead only to more Russian aggression.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
-
She was relinquished by her first adoptive family due to her behavioral issues.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Britain’s slimmer new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also relinquished the U.K.’s past leadership in research and expertise, largely due to pay reductions and restrictions on hiring non-British nationals.—
Sarah Stroup,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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All the Sumerian cities of Mesopotamia succumbed to the same fate and were conquered by Sargon.—
Francesca Aton,
ARTnews.com,
20 Mar. 2025
-
An estimated 1,323 Californians have succumbed to the flu as of the week ending March 8, including 19 children.—
Harriet Blair Rowan,
The Mercury News,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
One now former Skadden attorney, Rachel Cohen, resigned over her firm’s approach.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Another vacancy was created when Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, once considered for Trump's attorney general, resigned before withdrawing from consideration.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Robert Farley, chief of the North Bergen Police Department, is the focus of several notices to sue that were submitted by officers to the Township of North Bergen — which the first step in filing a complaint against an employer in the state — according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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In the Senate, there were seven testimonies submitted favoring SB 399, including a letter from NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic in support of is project to build the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link transmission line.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Pileggi can’t write outside of his own sandbox, which means that DeNiro indulges the usual nefariousness.—
Armond White,
National Review,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Go the practical route and indulge her with a new pan from one of our favorite brands.—
Brie Schwartz,
Glamour,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Moreno’s first title reign began in June 2021 with a submission win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon by email and to NATO by submission form on Thursday morning for comment.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That renders every emotional moment (what made the original Lion King so terrific) utterly lifeless.—
Barry Levitt,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
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There is no reason to say that the current challenges render AI’s implementation impossible.—
William Tarr,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Afterwards, Farke conceded he had been tempted to start Gnonto in Aaronson’s place.—
Beren Cross,
The Athletic,
19 Mar. 2025
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In November, Zelenskyy conceded not all territory could be won back by force and may have to remain under de facto Russian control after a settlement.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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