surrender

verb

/səˈrendə(r)/

/səˈrendər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they surrender	/səˈrendə(r)/ /səˈrendər/
he / she / it surrenders	/səˈrendəz/ /səˈrendərz/
past simple surrendered	/səˈrendəd/ /səˈrendərd/
past participle surrendered	/səˈrendəd/ /səˈrendərd/
-ing form surrendering	/səˈrendərɪŋ/ /səˈrendərɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive, transitive] to admit that you have been defeated and want to stop fighting; to allow yourself to be caught, taken prisoner, etc. synonym give in (to somebody/something)
- The rebel soldiers were forced to surrender.
- surrender to somebody He surrendered voluntarily to his enemies.
- surrender yourself (to somebody) The hijackers eventually surrendered themselves to the police.
Wordfinder
- agreement
- armistice
- ceasefire
- disengage
- negotiate
- peace
- reparations
- surrender
- treaty
- truce
Extra Examples
- After three weeks under siege they surrendered completely.
- The British formally surrendered on 31 May.
Topics War and conflictc1, Crime and punishmentc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- unconditionally
- completely
- immediately
- …
verb + surrender
- order somebody to
- agree to
- refuse to
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry
(formal) to give up something/somebody when you are forced to synonym relinquish
- surrender something/somebody to somebody He agreed to surrender all claims to the property.
- They surrendered their guns to the police.
- surrender something/somebody The defendant was released to await trial but had to surrender her passport.
- The dictator surrendered power to Parliament.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- unconditionally
- completely
- immediately
- …
verb + surrender
- order somebody to
- agree to
- refuse to
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry

Word Originlate Middle English (chiefly in legal use): from Anglo-Norman French (from sur- and render).

surrender

noun

/səˈrendə(r)/

/səˈrendər/

[uncountable, singular]

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surrender (to somebody/something) an act of admitting that you have been defeated and want to stop fighting
- They demanded (an) unconditional surrender.
- He raised his hands in surrender.
Collocations War and peace
War and peaceStarting a war
- declare/make/wage war (on somebody/something)
- go to war (against/with somebody)
- cause/spark/provoke/foment/quell unrest
- incite/lead/crush/suppress a revolt/rebellion
- launch/mount/carry out a surprise/terrorist attack
- prevent/halt/represent an escalation of the conflict
- be torn apart by/be on the brink of civil war
- enter/invade/occupy somebody’s territory
- lead/launch/resist/repel an invasion
Military operations
- adopt/develop/implement/pursue a military strategy
- carry out/execute/perform military operations/manoeuvres
- send/deploy/station/pull back/withdraw troops
- go on/fly/carry out a reconnaissance/rescue mission
- train/equip/deploy army/military/combat units
- lead/launch/conduct a raid/a surprise attack/an (air/airborne/amphibious) assault (on somebody)
- employ/use guerrilla tactics
- conduct/wage biological/guerrilla warfare
- fight/crush/defeat the rebels/the insurgency
- suffer/inflict a crushing defeat
- achieve/win a decisive victory
- halt/stop the British/German/Russian advance
- order/force a retreat
Fighting
- join/serve in the army/navy/air force
- be/go/remain/serve on active duty
- serve/complete/return from a tour of duty
- be sent to the front (line)
- attack/strike/engage/defeat/kill/destroy the enemy
- see/report/be engaged in heavy fighting
- call for/be met with armed resistance
- come under heavy/machine-gun/mortar fire
- fire a machine-gun/mortar shells/rockets (at somebody/something)
- shoot a rifle/a pistol/bullets/missiles
- launch/fire a cruise/ballistic/anti-tank missile
- use biological/chemical/nuclear weapons
- inflict/suffer/sustain heavy losses/casualties
- be hit/killed by enemy/friendly/artillery fire
- become/be held as a prisoner of war
Civilians in war
- harm/kill/target/protect innocent/unarmed civilians
- cause/avoid/limit/minimize civilian casualties/collateral damage
- impose/enforce/lift a curfew
- engage in/be a victim of ethnic cleansing
- be sent to an internment/a concentration camp
- accept/house/resettle refugees fleeing from war
- fear/threaten military/violent reprisals
- commit/be accused of war crimes/crimes against humanity/genocide
Making peace
- make/bring/win/achieve/maintain/promote peace
- call for/negotiate/broker/declare a ceasefire/a temporary truce
- sign a ceasefire agreement
- call for/bring/put an end to hostilities
- demand/negotiate/accept the surrender of somebody/something
- establish/send (in) a peacekeeping force
- negotiate/conclude/ratify/sign/accept/reject/break/violate a peace treaty
Extra Examples
- The division accepted the surrender of a group of some 500 rebels.
- The rebels hoisted the white flag of surrender.
- The rebels were offered easy terms of surrender.
- The villagers were starved into surrender.
Topics War and conflictc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- complete
- total
- unconditional
- …
verb + surrender
- demand
- force into
- starve into
- …
preposition
- surrender to
phrases
- a flag of surrender
- in surrender
- terms of surrender
- …
See full entry
surrender (to something) the fact of allowing yourself to be controlled by something
- They accused the government of a surrender to business interests.
surrender of something (to somebody) an act of giving something to somebody else even though you do not want to, especially after a battle, etc.
- They insisted on the immediate surrender of all weapons.

Word Originlate Middle English (chiefly in legal use): from Anglo-Norman French (from sur- and render).