submit

American  

[suhb-mit] / səbˈmɪt /

verb (used with object)

• submits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• submitted,
  past participle,  past
• submitting
  present participle

1. to give over or yield to the power or authority of another (often used reflexively).

   Synonyms:

   resign, agree, obey, bow, comply

   Antonyms:

   fight

2. to subject to some kind of treatment or influence.

3. to present for the approval, consideration, or decision of another or others.

   to submit a plan;

   to submit an application.

4. to state or urge with deference; suggest or propose (usually followed by a clause).

   I submit that full proof should be required.

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verb (used without object)

• submits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• submitted,
  past participle,  past
• submitting
  present participle

1. to yield oneself to the power or authority of another.

   to submit to a conqueror.

2. to allow oneself to be subjected to some kind of treatment.

   to submit to chemotherapy.

3. to defer to another's judgment, opinion, decision, etc..

   I submit to your superior judgment.

submit British  

/ səbˈmɪt /

verb

1. (often foll by to) to yield (oneself), as to the will of another person, a superior force, etc

2. (foll by to) to subject or be voluntarily subjected (to analysis, treatment, etc)

3. to refer (something to someone) for judgment or consideration

   to submit a claim

4. (tr; may take a clause as object) to state, contend, or propose deferentially

5. to defer or accede (to the decision, opinion, etc, of another)

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Usage

Where does submit come from? As we see in our Behind The Word on transfer, submit is an excellent example of how Latin roots can be found all over English vocabulary. Submit entered English around 1325–75. The word is ultimately derived from the Latin submittere, meaning “to lower, reduce, yield.” This Latin verb is composed of two parts. The first part is sub-, a combining form based on the preposition sub, meaning “under, below.” The second part is mittere, a verb meaning “to send,” often with the sense of “letting (something) go.” Fun fact: another sense of submittere in Latin was “to let grow,” as one does with their hair. Some of the most common senses of submit in English are “to turn in,” as one submits a homework assignment or document, and “to give in,” as one submits to the will of another. Back to the Latin roots. Latin combined mittere with a variety of its own prefixes to form new verbs, many of which made their way into English in the 1300s.

• admit (from Latin admittere, literally “to send to”; see ad-)
• commit (from Latin committere, literally “to send with”; see com-)
• demit (from Latin dēmittere, literally “to send down”; see de-)
• emit (from Latin ēmittere, literally “to send out”; see e-)
• intermit (from Latin intermittere, literally “to send between”; see inter-)
• intromit (from Latin intrōmittere, literally “to send in”; see intro-)
• omit (from Latin omittere, with a literal meaning of, roughly, “to send in the way of”; see o-)
• permit (from Latin permittere, literally “to send through”; see per-)
• pretermit (from Latin praetermittere, literally “to send past”; see preter-)
• remit (from Latin remittere, literally “to send back”; see re-)
• transmit (from Latin trānsmittere, literally “to send across”; see trans-)

Now, for sub-. Too many words to list here feature the prefix sub-, either as borrowed from Latin or formed in English. Below are just a few examples. Can you think of more?

• subatomic
• subliminal
• submarine
• submerge
• subside
• subterranean
• substitute

Dig deeperMany other English words contain sub-, but you might not know it at first glance. That’s due to a process called assimilation, which is when a sound becomes the same as or similar to a neighboring sound. Before sp, sub- becomes su-, as in suspect. Before c, sub- becomes suc-, as in succeed. Sub- becomes suf- before f (suffer), sug- before g (suggest), and sum- before m (summon). And just to be absolutely thorough, sub- becomes sup- before p, as in suppose, and sur- before r, as in surrogate.

Synonym Usage

See yield.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• submittal
  noun
• submitter
  noun
• resubmit
  verb
• presubmit
  verb (used with object)
• nonsubmissible
  adjective
• submissible
  adjective
• submittable
  adjective
• unsubmitting
  adjective
• submittingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• submitting
  present
• submitted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• submit
  simple
• submits
  simple
• have submitted
  perfect
• has submitted
  perfect
• am submitting
  progressive
• are submitting
  progressive
• is submitting
  progressive
• have been submitting
  perfect progressive
• has been submitting
  perfect progressive

Past

• submitted
  simple
• had submitted
  perfect
• was submitting
  progressive
• were submitting
  progressive
• had been submitting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will submit
  simple
• will have submitted
  perfect
• will be submitting
  progressive
• will have been submitting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of submit

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English submitten, from Latin submittere “to lower, reduce, yield,” equivalent to sub- “under, below, beneath” + mittere “to send”; see sub-

Explanation

To submit to something means to undergo or accept it. You must submit to a search if the police have a warrant. Many of the senses of submit are variations on that first meaning of acceptance. When you submit an application, you formally hand it in to be judged. Similarly, if you put something before an organized group, you submit it. Often websites will have an e-mail address where you can submit questions, comments and suggestions. If you want to paint your room black and your parents submit, they give in to your wish.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

submit submits submitted submitting

DHS just needed to submit a letter officially requesting the data for those purposes, an attorney in the legal counsel’s office explained, according to internal emails.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Unlike in the EFL case, which needed to be resolved in order to complete the play-offs, the FA process has allowed Southampton more time to submit evidence in support of their case.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

“It was like the moment I pushed that button to submit for prior authorization, they didn’t even wait for my physician’s paperwork,” Noonan said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that called for major AI developers to submit new models to the government for review 30 days before they are publicly released.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Why did he so quietly submit to the concealment Mr. Rochester enforced?

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

"I personally like when someone submits their booking request along with a nice introduction letter, telling me about themselves and the reason why they would be visiting London."

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

When Okatsuka thinks about the fans who call her “mother,” the bowl-haired stand-up submits that they would be better off calling her “father.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Officials said they hope for a Pathways deal by as early as July 1, or around the same time Alberta submits a pipeline application.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

The restaurant submits the final total — the bill and the tip — as part of a batch to its payment processor.

From MarketWatch ● May 14, 2026

“Yes, she can,” he said, “if she submits a written request.”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

A defence barrister submitted the accused is a "reasonable candidate for bail as there is nothing on record for violence or domestic abuse".

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

The cases were submitted by coroners, forensic pathologists, and police forces between March 2019 and August 2024.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

At the time of the indictments, Sheinbaum said Mexico wouldn’t extradite the men, as requested by the U.S., because no evidence had been submitted supporting the charges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Looking at the rising numbers of silicosis cases, the Western Occupational & Environmental Medical Assn. submitted a petition to the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board in December seeking more meaningful change.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Taran did not answer, but glumly submitted to her care.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

There are no refunds if someone dislikes their options—they can only get their money back if they request a refund before submitting the initial form to Mystery Vacations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Bezos ultimately decided against submitting an offer for either franchise but now looks set to enter the sporting arena with Liverpool.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The grants run on an annual basis, and once a contract is in place, organizations can begin submitting invoices to be reimbursed for services such as rental assistance and emergency shelter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The admissions board will then turn to high school course requirements, submitting an initial report to the council in May 2027; the regents would take up any course changes at an unspecified later date.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The firm is entering a competition, submitting designs for a new five-star hotel to be built in Miami.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• propose
• put
• refer
• suggest
• table
• urge