capitulate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have capitulatedperfect
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has capitulatedperfect 3rd person singular
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am capitulatingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been capitulatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been capitulatingperfect progressive
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capitulatessingular 3rd person
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is capitulatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are capitulatingprogressive
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capitulatingparticiple
Past
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had capitulatedperfect
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capitulatedsimple
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were capitulatingprogressive plural
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capitulatedparticiple
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was capitulatingprogressive singular
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had been capitulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of capitulate
First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin capitulātus (past participle of capitulāre “to draw up in sections”), equivalent to capitul(um) “section,” literally, “small head” + -ātus ; see origin at capitulum, chapter ( def. ), -ate 1
Explanation
To capitulate means to give in to something. If your parents refuse to raise your allowance, you might try to argue until they capitulate. Good luck! To capitulate is to surrender outright or to give in under certain terms. Either way, you’re agreeing to something you don’t really want. The word comes from the Latin roots caput ("head") and capitulum ("headings"), a reference to the official agreement drawn up when someone formally surrendered.
Vocabulary lists containing capitulate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But litigation and regulatory investigations are costly, and a lot of companies, corporate parents, make the decision that it is actually less painful to settle and to capitulate than it is to fight.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
Eastern Time on Tuesday — telling one reporter that “very little” would be off the table if Tehran doesn’t capitulate.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
“Iran will be forced to capitulate at some point,” writes BCA Research Chief Strategist Marko Papic.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
The president told his White House team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait, the world’s most vital shipping lane.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
In reality, as he saw now, he had been ready to capitulate long before he had taken the decision.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
