surrender
1 of 2verb
sur·ren·der sə-ˈren-dər 
surrendered; surrendering sə-ˈren-d(ə-)riŋ
transitive verb
1
a
: to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand
surrendered the fort
b
: to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another
2
a
: to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner
b
: to give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence)
intransitive verb
: to give oneself up into the power of another : yield
surrender
2 of 2noun
1
a
: the action of yielding one's person or giving up the possession of something especially into the power of another
b
: the relinquishment by a patentee of rights or claims under a patent
c
: the delivery of a principal into lawful custody by bail
called also surrender by bail
d
: the voluntary cancellation of the legal liability of an insurance company by the insured and beneficiary for a consideration
e
: the delivery of a fugitive from justice by one government to another
2
: an instance of surrendering
Synonyms
Verb
- cede
- cough up
- deliver
- give up
- hand over
- lay down
- relinquish
- render
- turn in
- turn over
- yield
Noun
- capitulating
- capitulation
- cession
- handover
- relinquishment
- rendition
- submission
- submitting
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The enemy finally surrendered after three days of fighting. The gunman surrendered and was taken into custody. The troops were forced to surrender the fort. They were required to surrender their passports. the surrendering of land to the government He refused to surrender to despair. He refused to surrender himself to despair. Noun Their surrender was formalized in a treaty. They demanded an unconditional surrender. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 Smith is to surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the unrelated federal case on Thursday. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 29 June 2022 That capped off a dominant state tournament where Houston and Ramulu didn’t surrender more than two games in any set, despite only having a 30-minute break between the quarterfinal and semifinal match. Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 31 May 2022 On the morning of May 25, 2018, Weinstein was ordered to surrender at the New York Police Department’s First Precinct station house, in lower Manhattan. Ken Auletta, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 Fryer is scheduled to surrender to prison in mid-September with hope of being sent to a halfway house to serve the final six months of his sentence, Goldman said. David K. Li, NBC News, 12 May 2022 Preseason games typically don’t mean a lot, but seeing the Chargers surrender two kick returns for touchdowns was not ideal. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 This summer has left many Americans with only one option: surrender. Christine Chung, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2022 Therefore, many tax specialists say the U.S. should surrender rather than leave tax revenue on the table for other countries. Aharon Friedman, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2022 Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2022 The line between the fight for freedom and the surrender to hatred is absolute. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 But even at just 100 beats per minute, the young revelers of Kyiv are nowhere near surrender. New York Times, 15 July 2022 Following the surrender in Mariupol, some Russian lawmakers were quick to call for the death penalty and proposed a ban on any exchange of prisoners that would allow members of the Azov regiment to go free. Michael Schwirtz, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 As recently as Thursday, Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, posted a Telegram video that declared in its caption there would be no surrender from the troops still in Mariupol. Annabelle Chapman, Washington Post, 20 May 2022 Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti announced the city fell with the surrender of 2,439 Ukrainian fighters, a figure much larger than previously reported. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 21 May 2022 This wasn't VE Day, a long, uncertain battle ending with the unconditional surrender of a foe. Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 May 2021 Ar 234 was captured by the British in Norway with the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 7, 1945. David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2020 See More
Verb
Miami will also surrender its first-round pick in the 2023 draft along with a third-rounder in 2024. Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 Smith is to surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the unrelated federal case on Thursday. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 29 June 2022 That capped off a dominant state tournament where Houston and Ramulu didn’t surrender more than two games in any set, despite only having a 30-minute break between the quarterfinal and semifinal match. Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 31 May 2022 On the morning of May 25, 2018, Weinstein was ordered to surrender at the New York Police Department’s First Precinct station house, in lower Manhattan. Ken Auletta, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 Fryer is scheduled to surrender to prison in mid-September with hope of being sent to a halfway house to serve the final six months of his sentence, Goldman said. David K. Li, NBC News, 12 May 2022 Preseason games typically don’t mean a lot, but seeing the Chargers surrender two kick returns for touchdowns was not ideal. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 This summer has left many Americans with only one option: surrender. Christine Chung, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2022 Therefore, many tax specialists say the U.S. should surrender rather than leave tax revenue on the table for other countries. Aharon Friedman, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2022 Noun
German star Daniel Brühl plays a German diplomat, negotiating Germany’s surrender in the war’s final days. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2022 The line between the fight for freedom and the surrender to hatred is absolute. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 But even at just 100 beats per minute, the young revelers of Kyiv are nowhere near surrender. New York Times, 15 July 2022 Following the surrender in Mariupol, some Russian lawmakers were quick to call for the death penalty and proposed a ban on any exchange of prisoners that would allow members of the Azov regiment to go free. Michael Schwirtz, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 As recently as Thursday, Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, posted a Telegram video that declared in its caption there would be no surrender from the troops still in Mariupol. Annabelle Chapman, Washington Post, 20 May 2022 Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti announced the city fell with the surrender of 2,439 Ukrainian fighters, a figure much larger than previously reported. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 21 May 2022 This wasn't VE Day, a long, uncertain battle ending with the unconditional surrender of a foe. Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 May 2021 Ar 234 was captured by the British in Norway with the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 7, 1945. David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English surrendren, from surrendre, noun
Noun
Middle English surrendre, from Anglo-French, from surrendre, susrendre to relinquish, from sur- & sus-, suz under + rendre to give back — more at render, sous-chef
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing surrender
Kids Definition
surrender 1 of 2
verb
sur·ren·der sə-ˈren-dər
surrendered; surrendering
1
: to give up after a struggle
The soldiers surrendered.
We'll never surrender the fort.
2
: to let go of : relinquish
We surrendered our place in line.
surrender
2 of 2noun
1
: the act of giving up after a struggle
2
: the act of giving something over to the possession or control of someone else
Legal Definition
surrender 1 of 2
transitive verb
sur·ren·der
1
a
: to yield to the control or possession of another
surrender the leased premises
surrender collateral to a creditor
b
: to give up completely or agree to forgo
c
: to cancel (one's insurance policy) voluntarily
2
: to give over to the custody of the law
surrender a defendant
intransitive verb
: to give oneself up
surrender
2 of 2noun
: an act or instance of surrendering
discharge an obligor by surrender of a promissory note
especially : the yielding of an estate by a tenant to the landlord so that the leasehold interest is extinguished by mutual agreement
surrender 1 of 2
verb
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- relinquish
- render
- deliver
- cede
- abandon
- yield
- transfer
- resign
- turn in
- lay down
- forfeit
- cough up
- hand over
- turn over
- commit
- renounce
- waive
- entrust
- give up
- release
- discard
- consign
- forsake
- intrust
- desert
- shed
- abnegate
- part (with)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- retain
- keep
- withhold
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- succumb
- submit
- concede
- capitulate
- bow
- relent
- budge
- yield
- knuckle under
- acquiesce
- quit
- say uncle
- give in
- blink
- throw in the sponge
- defer
- throw in the towel
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- resist
- fight
- oppose
- contend
- confront
- face
- defy
- meet
- object
- combat
- breast
- hold off
- counter
- battle
- withstand
- repel
- thwart
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- relinquish
- resign
- abdicate
- renounce
- cede
- deny
- abnegate
- waive
- vacate
- abandon
- forsake
- abjure
- disavow
- disown
- step down (from)
- disclaim
- step aside (from)
- demit
- yield
- desert
- hand over
- give up
- quit
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- claim
- assume
- seize
- confiscate
- appropriate
- protect
- defend
- secure
- usurp
- take over
- guard
- arrogate
- safeguard
- wrest
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- succumb
- submit
- bow
- yield
- give in
- indulge
- gratify
- wallow
- cave (in)
- knuckle under
- cater (to)
- acquiesce (to)
- concede (to)
- buckle (under)
- give over (to)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- resist
- fight
- oppose
- confront
- defy
- face
- meet
- object
- combat
- breast
- reject
- repel
- counter
- thwart
- hold off
- battle
- withstand
- restrain
- check
- stifle
- constrain
- curb
- inhibit
- bridle
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- succumb
- capitulate
- submit
- fall
- collapse
- relinquish
- bow
- knuckle under
- give up
- concede
- buckle
- lose
- hand over
- fold
- fail
- give (in)
- cave (in)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stand
- fight
- resist
- oppose
- endure
- win
- overcome
- withstand
- defy
- beat
- prevail
- triumph
- repel
- conquer
- buck
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- indulge
- abandon
- yield
- revel
- deliver
- give up
- bask
- overdo
- overindulge
- wallow
- roll
- luxuriate
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- deny
- forego
- restrain
- forgo
- refrain (from)
- eschew
- check
- forbear
- inhibit
- abstain (from)
surrender
2 of 2noun
as in relinquishment
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- relinquishment
- submission
- capitulation
- submitting
- acceptance
- capture
- cession
- capitulating
- compromise
- acquiescence
- rendition
- handover
- reconciliation
- concession
- conciliation
- appeasement
- fall
- reconcilement
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- resistance
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of surrender are abandon, relinquish, resign, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.
surrendered their claims
While the synonyms abandon and surrender are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.
abandoned all hope
The synonyms relinquish and surrender are sometimes interchangeable, but relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.
relinquished her crown
The words resign and surrender are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.
resigned her position
The meanings of waive and surrender largely overlap; however, waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.
waived the right to a trial by jury
In some situations, the words yield and surrender are roughly equivalent. However, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.
the troops yielded ground grudgingly