capitulation
Americannoun
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the act of capitulating.
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the document containing the terms of a surrender.
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a list of the headings or main divisions of a subject; a summary or enumeration.
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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.
noun
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the act of capitulating
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a document containing terms of surrender
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a statement summarizing the main divisions of a subject
Other Word Forms
- capitulatory adjective
- noncapitulation noun
Etymology
Origin of capitulation
First recorded in 1525–35, capitulation is from the Medieval Latin word capitulātiōn- (stem of capitulātiō ). See capitulate, -ion
Explanation
Capitulation is the act of surrendering or giving up. If you enter a pie eating contest when you're already full, you'll probably have to end up in a state of capitulation. The original meaning of capitulation is "the formal terms of surrender between governments." The word comes from the Latin capitulāre, with a root in capital, or "the head of state." You can use capitulation for any act of surrender. If you're stuck in an endless argument with your neighbor over the exact boundary between your properties, only the original deeds to the land will bring about a capitulation.
Vocabulary lists containing capitulation
The Diary of a Young Girl
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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This Week In Words: February 1–7, 2020
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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.
A true capitulation, but even that wouldn’t be easy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Captain Van Dijk criticised his team-mates after last Saturday's 4-0 capitulation against Manchester City in the FA Cup.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
What Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid is out to evoke is bone-deep submission: the kind of total capitulation and surrender that makes a person unrecognizable even to themselves.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
But Suzanne Maloney, an Iran specialist and foreign-policy vice president at the Brookings Institution think tank, said Trump won’t swiftly get the full capitulation he seeks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
He does not want just capitulation, but admiration, enthusiasm, for himself and his ideas, and when he doesn’t get it he feels cheated.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
