surrender
Americanverb (used with object)
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surrenders,
present (3rd person singular)
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surrendered,
past participle, past
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surrendering
present participle
-
to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress.
to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.
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to give (oneself ) up, as to the police.
-
to give (oneself ) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc..
He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.
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to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- renounce
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to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.
verb (used without object)
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surrenders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
surrendered,
past participle, past
-
surrendering
present participle
noun
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surrenders
plural
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the act or an instance of surrendering.
- Synonyms:
- relinquishment, capitulation
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Insurance. the voluntary abandonment of a life-insurance policy by the owner for any of its nonforfeiture values.
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the deed by which a legal surrendering is made.
verb
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(tr) to relinquish to the control or possession of another under duress or on demand
to surrender a city
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(tr) to relinquish or forego (an office, position, etc), esp as a voluntary concession to another
he surrendered his place to a lady
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to give (oneself) up physically, as or as if to an enemy
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to allow (oneself) to yield, as to a temptation, influence, etc
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(tr) to give up (hope, etc)
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(tr) law to give up or restore (an estate), esp to give up a lease before expiration of the term
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obsolete (tr) to return or render (thanks, etc)
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to present oneself at court at the appointed time after having been on bail
noun
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the act or instance of surrendering
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insurance the voluntary discontinuation of a life policy by its holder in return for a consideration (the surrender value )
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law
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the yielding up or restoring of an estate, esp the giving up of a lease before its term has expired
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the giving up to the appropriate authority of a fugitive from justice
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the act of surrendering or being surrendered to bail
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the deed by which a legal surrender is effected
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Synonym Usage
See yield.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonsurrendernoun
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presurrendernoun
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surrenderernoun
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prosurrenderadjective
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unsurrenderedadjective
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unsurrenderingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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surrendersimple
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surrenderssimple
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have surrenderedperfect
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has surrenderedperfect
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am surrenderingprogressive
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are surrenderingprogressive
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is surrenderingprogressive
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have been surrenderingperfect progressive
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has been surrenderingperfect progressive
Past
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surrenderedsimple
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had surrenderedperfect
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was surrenderingprogressive
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were surrenderingprogressive
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had been surrenderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of surrender
First recorded in 1425–75; (for the verb) late Middle English surrendren, from Anglo-French surrender, Old French surrendre “to give up,” from sur- sur- 1 + rendre “to render” ( see render 1); (for the noun) from Anglo-French; Old French surrendre, noun use of the infinitive
Explanation
To surrender is to give up control of something to someone else. If you miss curfew, your parents might make you surrender the keys to the car. Okay, it's only a minivan, but it's still cooler than being on foot patrol. If you want someone to give up, you might order them to surrender. The witch in the Wizard of Oz wrote "Surrender Dorothy!" in the sky above the Emerald City. You can use the noun surrender when you give up on a task. For example, if you are cleaning the house, but every time you finish a room, the kids mess up another, you can throw your hands up and declare, "I surrender!"
Vocabulary lists containing surrender
Workshop 4, Part 1
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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.
See Examples For:
The law also expressly protects the parental rights of the intended parents by requiring the surrogate to surrender the child to them immediately upon birth.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Patterned after gun buyback programs organized by police departments, prosecutors in Orange County are offering gift cards for people to surrender e-bikes and e-motorcycles with “no questions” asked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Middlebrough was permitted to first go to Liverpool and then briefly stay in West Yorkshire and was ordered to surrender to HMP Wandsworth in south London on 24 October.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
"No person should be required to surrender their human rights in exchange for claims of technological progress."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
He expected more good news about the surrender of additional Confederate armies.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
District Judge Margaret Garnett released Van Dyke while he awaits trial, on conditions including that he surrenders his passport and any firearms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Don’t miss: Tesla’s stock surrenders gains after earnings.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026
Rather than transcending expectations, “Dangerous Animals” surrenders to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
Harket, 65, said he had "no problem accepting the diagnosis", adding: "With time, I've taken to heart my 94-year-old father's attitude to the way the organism gradually surrenders: 'I use whatever works'."
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025
Berlin surrenders; Goring surrenders; the great mysterious vault of Nazism falls open.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Thaci has been in custody in The Hague for six years since he voluntarily surrendered in 2020 to the tribunal, known as the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Even Valentin Barco, despite scoring Chelsea's fifth goal, was partly at fault for Leeds' second and was among several players who repeatedly surrendered possession during a difficult first half.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Then he surrendered a single to Mike Yastrzemski, a sacrifice fly to Austin Riley and a double to Sean Murphy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The Zambian opposition leader who was runner-up in this month's disputed presidential election surrendered to police on Thursday after two weeks in hiding following a summons over an alleged national security threat, state media reported.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
On May 10, 1940, the Nazis entered France, and six weeks later, France surrendered, leaving Britain alone to fight the Germans.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The episode came shortly before a dramatic night for Real Madrid, who recovered from surrendering a two-goal lead to beat Elche 3-2, with Carlos Espi scoring the winner in stoppage time.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
They included General Dietrich von Choltitz, the last Nazi commander in Paris, who arrived in late August 1944 after defying Hitler and surrendering the city.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
By the end, the Sparks spent the game playing catch-up, never regaining the lead after surrendering it in the first 49 seconds to Johnson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
In contrast, Ulysses S. Grant illustrates a more-challenging leadership path, namely reconciliation without surrendering principle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Each season she grew more shrunken and dilapidated, surrendering her sturdy hull and deck to the ravages of woodworms, barnacles, and weather.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
