capitulate

[ kuh-pich-uh-leyt ]

/ kəˈpɪtʃ əˌleɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR capitulate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), ca·pit·u·lat·ed, ca·pit·u·lat·ing.

to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms.

to give up resistance: He finally capitulated and agreed to do the job my way.

Nearby words

Origin of capitulate

1570–80; < Medieval Latin capitulātus (past participle of capitulāre to draw up in sections), equivalent to capitul(um) section (literally, small head; see capitulum) + -ātus -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR capitulate

2. yield, acquiesce, accede, give in.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR capitulate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsca·pit·u·lant, nounca·pit·u·la·tor, nounun·ca·pit·u·lat·ed, adjectiveun·ca·pit·u·lat·ing, adjective

Can be confusedcapitulate recapitulate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for capitulate

Much like Jamie, he acknowledges—but will not capitulate to—the circumscribed world they create.
This Week’s Hot Reads: December 22, 2014|Mythili Rao|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He knew his best friend, Chief Taylor, would stand by him and that Stilts would have to capitulate.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’|Eileen Cronin|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nor is the stubborn, shrewd prime minsiter known to capitulate easily, or to misread public sentiment.
Why Did Netanyahu Release Palestinian Prisoners?|Abraham Katsman|August 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As he is walking out the door, the Japanese call him back, capitulate, and a happy medium is agreed on.
‘A Hijacking,’ the Somali Pirate Movie Without Tom Hanks, Is Fantastic|Tom Sykes|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST

This meant that even if Saddam sought to capitulate, it would not suffice.
Sanctions Make War More Likely|Trita Parsi|March 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Yet is there an immortal courage and prophecy in every sane soul that cannot, must not, under any circumstances, capitulate.
Complete Prose Works|Walt Whitman
Thence he moved upon Fort Beau-sejour, and forced the garrison to capitulate after a bombardment of four days.
The Conquest of Canada (Vol. 2 of 2)|George Warburton
Called upon to capitulate in 1814, he threatened to blow up the fortress unless the allied forces at once retired.
Old and New Paris, v. 2|Henry Sutherland Edwards
Anderson agreed to capitulate and Wigfall hastened to so inform General Beauregard.
History of Kershaw's Brigade|D. Augustus Dickert
Retreat was impossible; Mack was defeated on every hand, and he shut himself up in Ulm, where he was soon compelled to capitulate.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan

British Dictionary definitions for capitulate

capitulate

/ (kəˈpɪtjʊˌleɪt) /

verb

(intr) to surrender, esp under agreed conditions

Derived Formscapitulator, noun

Word Origin for capitulate

C16 (meaning: to arrange under heads, draw up in order; hence, to make terms of surrender): from Medieval Latin capitulare to draw up under heads, from capitulum chapter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for capitulate

capitulate

1570s, "to draw up in chapters" (i.e., under "heads"), in part a back-formation from capitulation, in part from Medieval Latin capitulatus, past participle of capitulare "to draw up in heads or chapters, arrange conditions." Often of terms of surrender, hence meaning "to yield on stipulated terms" (1680s). Related: Capitulated; capitulating.

capitulate

verb (used without object), ca·pit·u·lat·ed, ca·pit·u·lat·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of capitulate

Examples from the Web for capitulate

capitulate

verb

Word Origin for capitulate

capitulate