capitulate

verb

ca·pit·u·late kə-ˈpi-chə-ˌlāt How to pronounce capitulate (audio)

capitulated; capitulating

intransitive verb

: to surrender often after negotiation of terms

The enemy was forced to capitulate unconditionally.

: to cease resisting : acquiesce

The company capitulated to the labor union to avoid a strike.

archaic : parley, negotiate

Did you know?

Capitulate and its synonyms yield, submit, and succumb all mean to give way to someone or something, but have a few slight differences in emphasis. Yield may apply to any sort or degree of bowing to force, debate, or pleading ("yields too easily in any argument"). Submit suggests surrender, after resistance, to the will or control of another ("the soldiers submitted to their captors"). Succumb imputes weakness and helplessness to the person giving in, or an overwhelming power to the opposition ("succumbing to temptation"). Capitulate stresses the termination of all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms, as with an adversary, or hopelessness before an irresistible opposing force ("team owners capitulated to the demands of the players' union").

Example Sentences

The country still refuses to capitulate despite its weakening army and dwindling resources. The teacher refused to capitulate: no calculators were to be used during the exam.

Recent Examples on the Web The Legislature didn’t capitulate to Baker’s suggested amendment on power generated by burning wood.

Dharna Noor, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2022 Indeed, Russia’s initial strategy was to overwhelm Ukrainian defense forces, seize Kiev, and force the government to capitulate.

Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 31 July 2022 Russia directly and through an intermediary tried to get the Ukrainian government to capitulate in the initial hours of the war.

Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 Yet the students remained dissatisfied when the university refused to totally capitulate and declined to label bathrooms and housing plans as all-gender.

Aron Ravin, National Review, 3 Apr. 2022 Every general strike called by UGTT since 2011 has forced authorities to capitulate to union demands, said Youssef Cherif, who heads the Columbia Global Centers chapter in Tunis.

Jihen Laghmari, Bloomberg.com, 16 June 2022 The Rockets continue to insist on the inclusion of draft compensation in any deal and the Lakers remain steadfast in their refusal to capitulate.

Rahat Huq, Chron, 13 June 2022 Take the opportunity to stand out when people tend to capitulate.

Melanie Marten, Forbes, 24 June 2022 The choice of Colescott to represent the United States at the 1997 Venice Biennale initiated a general surrender to his ineluctable power, though most of America’s upper-crust institutions have yet to capitulate.

Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 See More

capitulate

verb

as in to succumb

to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) one side finally capitulated when it became clear that they couldn't win the argument

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

succumb
surrender
concede
submit
relent
budge
bow
yield
acquiesce
quit
knuckle under
blink
give in
throw in the sponge
say uncle
throw in the towel
defer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

resist
fight
contend
confront
oppose
meet
defy
face
withstand
object
breast
combat
counter
repel
hold off
thwart
battle

as in to surrender

to yield to the control or power of enemy forces the city reluctantly capitulated to the invaders after a three-day siege

Synonyms & Similar Words

succumb
surrender
submit
fall
collapse
relinquish
concede
bow
give up
knuckle under
buckle
lose
fail
fold
give (in)
hand over
cave (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stand
resist
endure
oppose
fight
withstand
overcome
win
defy
prevail
beat
repel
conquer
triumph
buck

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of capitulate are defer, relent, submit, succumb, and yield. While all these words mean "to give way to someone or something that one can no longer resist," capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms (as with an adversary) or hopelessness in the face of an irresistible opposing force.

officials capitulated to the protesters' demands

While in some cases nearly identical to capitulate, defer implies a voluntary yielding or submitting out of respect or reverence for or deference and affection toward another.

I defer to your expertise in these matters

While the synonyms relent and capitulate are close in meaning, relent implies a yielding through pity or mercy by one who holds the upper hand.

finally relented and let the children stay up late

The synonyms submit and capitulate are sometimes interchangeable, but submit suggests full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another.

a repentant sinner vowing to submit to the will of God

The words succumb and capitulate can be used in similar contexts, but succumb implies weakness and helplessness to the one that gives way or an overwhelming power to the opposing force.

a stage actor succumbing to the lure of Hollywood

In some situations, the words yield and capitulate are roughly equivalent. However, yield may apply to any sort or degree of giving way before force, argument, persuasion, or entreaty.

yields too easily in any argument

单词	capitulate
释义	capitulate verb ca·pit·u·late kə-ˈpi-chə-ˌlāt capitulated; capitulating intransitive verb 1 a : to surrender often after negotiation of terms The enemy was forced to capitulate unconditionally. b : to cease resisting : acquiesce The company capitulated to the labor union to avoid a strike. 2 archaic : parley, negotiate Did you know? Capitulate and its synonyms yield, submit, and succumb all mean to give way to someone or something, but have a few slight differences in emphasis. Yield may apply to any sort or degree of bowing to force, debate, or pleading ("yields too easily in any argument"). Submit suggests surrender, after resistance, to the will or control of another ("the soldiers submitted to their captors"). Succumb imputes weakness and helplessness to the person giving in, or an overwhelming power to the opposition ("succumbing to temptation"). Capitulate stresses the termination of all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms, as with an adversary, or hopelessness before an irresistible opposing force ("team owners capitulated to the demands of the players' union"). Synonyms blink bow budge concede give in knuckle under quit relent submit succumb surrender yield See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The country still refuses to capitulate despite its weakening army and dwindling resources. The teacher refused to capitulate: no calculators were to be used during the exam. Recent Examples on the Web The Legislature didn’t capitulate to Baker’s suggested amendment on power generated by burning wood. Dharna Noor, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2022 Indeed, Russia’s initial strategy was to overwhelm Ukrainian defense forces, seize Kiev, and force the government to capitulate. Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 31 July 2022 Russia directly and through an intermediary tried to get the Ukrainian government to capitulate in the initial hours of the war. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 Yet the students remained dissatisfied when the university refused to totally capitulate and declined to label bathrooms and housing plans as all-gender. Aron Ravin, National Review, 3 Apr. 2022 Every general strike called by UGTT since 2011 has forced authorities to capitulate to union demands, said Youssef Cherif, who heads the Columbia Global Centers chapter in Tunis. Jihen Laghmari, Bloomberg.com, 16 June 2022 The Rockets continue to insist on the inclusion of draft compensation in any deal and the Lakers remain steadfast in their refusal to capitulate. Rahat Huq, Chron, 13 June 2022 Take the opportunity to stand out when people tend to capitulate. Melanie Marten, Forbes, 24 June 2022 The choice of Colescott to represent the United States at the 1997 Venice Biennale initiated a general surrender to his ineluctable power, though most of America’s upper-crust institutions have yet to capitulate. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Medieval Latin capitulatus, past participle of capitulare to distinguish by heads or chapters, from Late Latin capitulum — see capitulary First Known Use 1596, in the meaning defined at sense 2 capitulate verb 1 as in to succumb to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) one side finally capitulated when it became clear that they couldn't win the argument Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance succumb surrender concede submit relent budge bow yield acquiesce quit knuckle under blink give in throw in the sponge say uncle throw in the towel defer Antonyms & Near Antonyms resist fight contend confront oppose meet defy face withstand object breast combat counter repel hold off thwart battle See More 2 as in to surrender to yield to the control or power of enemy forces the city reluctantly capitulated to the invaders after a three-day siege Synonyms & Similar Words succumb surrender submit fall collapse relinquish concede bow give up knuckle under buckle lose fail fold give (in) hand over cave (in) Antonyms & Near Antonyms stand resist endure oppose fight withstand overcome win defy prevail beat repel conquer triumph buck See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of capitulate are defer, relent, submit, succumb, and yield. While all these words mean "to give way to someone or something that one can no longer resist," capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms (as with an adversary) or hopelessness in the face of an irresistible opposing force. officials capitulated to the protesters' demands While in some cases nearly identical to capitulate, defer implies a voluntary yielding or submitting out of respect or reverence for or deference and affection toward another. I defer to your expertise in these matters While the synonyms relent and capitulate are close in meaning, relent implies a yielding through pity or mercy by one who holds the upper hand. finally relented and let the children stay up late The synonyms submit and capitulate are sometimes interchangeable, but submit suggests full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another. a repentant sinner vowing to submit to the will of God The words succumb and capitulate can be used in similar contexts, but succumb implies weakness and helplessness to the one that gives way or an overwhelming power to the opposing force. a stage actor succumbing to the lure of Hollywood In some situations, the words yield and capitulate are roughly equivalent. However, yield may apply to any sort or degree of giving way before force, argument, persuasion, or entreaty. yields too easily in any argument
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capitulate

verb

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verb

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