capitulation

[kuh-pich-uh-ley-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of capitulating.

2. the document containing the terms of a surrender.

3. a list of the headings or main divisions of a subject; a summary or enumeration.

4. Often capitulations. a treaty or agreement by which subjects of one country residing or traveling in another are extended extraterritorial rights or special privileges, especially such a treaty between a European country and the former Ottoman rulers of Turkey.

capitulation

/ kəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of capitulating

2. a document containing terms of surrender

3. a statement summarizing the main divisions of a subject

Other Word Forms

• capitulatory adjective
• noncapitulation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of capitulation¹

First recorded in 1525–35, capitulation is from the Medieval Latin word capitulātiōn- (stem of capitulātiō ). See capitulate, -ion

Example Sentences

Republicans are wrestling with their own pressures, namely whether to legislate short-term fixes for discrete shutdown problems or to let the messes mount and thereby push Democrats into capitulation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Admittedly, this capitulation was not quite as dramatic as the one at Mount Maunganui, with movement through the air and off the pitch not as pronounced.

Read more on BBC

When Jeffries finally backed Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race on Friday, it felt to many less like an endorsement than a capitulation in a fight for the future of the Democratic Party.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Russia has rejected this idea, repeating demands that Kyiv and its allies describe as de facto capitulation by Ukraine.

Read more on BBC

In recent trade negotiations, the Chinese have demanded a full capitulation: the removal of all U.S. tariffs and export-control measures, though their American counterparts haven’t given any ground.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• submission 
• yielding