capitulate

[kuh-pich-uh-leyt]

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.

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

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

Synonyms for capitulate

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2. yield, acquiesce, accede, give in.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for capitulate

cede, defer, concede, bow, relent, surrender, succumb, fold, submit, yield

Examples from the Web for capitulate

Contemporary Examples of capitulate

Much like Jamie, he acknowledges—but will not capitulate to—the circumscribed world they create.
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Mythili Rao
December 22, 2014
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
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
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
This meant that even if Saddam sought to capitulate, it would not suffice.
Sanctions Make War More Likely
Trita Parsi
March 23, 2012

Historical Examples of capitulate

I make him offer to capitulate if he will accord us passage with the honours of war.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
Your attentions flatter her, and predispose her to capitulate.
Bardelys the Magnificent
Rafael Sabatini
"You must not capitulate with your Sovereign," said the Chancellor.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.
Thomas Babington Macaulay
It is a fortress that well besieged may capitulate like any other.
Wood Rangers
Mayne Reid
But now,—now if the siege were made, the town would have to capitulate at the first shot.
Orley Farm
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for capitulate

capitulate

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

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.