surrender

American  

[suh-ren-der] / səˈrɛn dər /

verb (used with object)

• surrenders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• surrendered,
  past participle,  past
• surrendering
  present participle

1. to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress.

   to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.

2. to give (oneself ) up, as to the police.

3. to give (oneself ) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc..

   He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.

4. to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   renounce

5. to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.

   Synonyms:

   forgo, abandon, cede, waive

---

verb (used without object)

• surrenders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• surrendered,
  past participle,  past
• surrendering
  present participle

1. to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.

   Synonyms:

   capitulate

noun

• surrenders
  plural

1. the act or an instance of surrendering.

   Synonyms:

   relinquishment, capitulation

2. Insurance. the voluntary abandonment of a life-insurance policy by the owner for any of its nonforfeiture values.

3. the deed by which a legal surrendering is made.

surrender British  

/ səˈrɛndə /

verb

1. (tr) to relinquish to the control or possession of another under duress or on demand

   to surrender a city

2. (tr) to relinquish or forego (an office, position, etc), esp as a voluntary concession to another

   he surrendered his place to a lady

3. to give (oneself) up physically, as or as if to an enemy

4. to allow (oneself) to yield, as to a temptation, influence, etc

5. (tr) to give up (hope, etc)

6. (tr) law to give up or restore (an estate), esp to give up a lease before expiration of the term

7. obsolete (tr) to return or render (thanks, etc)

8. to present oneself at court at the appointed time after having been on bail

---

noun

1. the act or instance of surrendering

2. insurance the voluntary discontinuation of a life policy by its holder in return for a consideration (the surrender value )

3. law

   1. the yielding up or restoring of an estate, esp the giving up of a lease before its term has expired

   2. the giving up to the appropriate authority of a fugitive from justice

   3. the act of surrendering or being surrendered to bail

   4. the deed by which a legal surrender is effected

Synonym Usage

See yield.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsurrender
  noun
• presurrender
  noun
• surrenderer
  noun
• prosurrender
  adjective
• unsurrendered
  adjective
• unsurrendering
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• surrenders
  plural

Participles

• surrendering
  present
• surrendered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• surrender
  simple
• surrenders
  simple
• have surrendered
  perfect
• has surrendered
  perfect
• am surrendering
  progressive
• are surrendering
  progressive
• is surrendering
  progressive
• have been surrendering
  perfect progressive
• has been surrendering
  perfect progressive

Past

• surrendered
  simple
• had surrendered
  perfect
• was surrendering
  progressive
• were surrendering
  progressive
• had been surrendering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will surrender
  simple
• will have surrendered
  perfect
• will be surrendering
  progressive
• will have been surrendering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of surrender

First recorded in 1425–75; (for the verb) late Middle English surrendren, from Anglo-French surrender, Old French surrendre “to give up,” from sur- sur- ¹ + rendre “to render” ( see render ¹); (for the noun) from Anglo-French; Old French surrendre, noun use of the infinitive

Explanation

To surrender is to give up control of something to someone else. If you miss curfew, your parents might make you surrender the keys to the car. Okay, it's only a minivan, but it's still cooler than being on foot patrol. If you want someone to give up, you might order them to surrender. The witch in the Wizard of Oz wrote "Surrender Dorothy!" in the sky above the Emerald City. You can use the noun surrender when you give up on a task. For example, if you are cleaning the house, but every time you finish a room, the kids mess up another, you can throw your hands up and declare, "I surrender!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surrender surrenders surrendered surrendering

Two family members were able to exit the home safely, but the man refused to surrender himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

She was told by the judge she must surrender her passport and would be monitored with an electronic tag until Monday, when she will be taken to prison ahead of her sentencing.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

The 1982 war ended with Argentine surrender after 74 days of conflict that killed 649 Argentines and 255 British troops.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Legal scholars have debated whether surrogates should pay legal damages if they fail to honor a contractual abortion provision, surrender payments remaining on the contract, or even pay back money they already received.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

They would allow no woman to be forced to marry against her will they told the newcomers, nor would they surrender any suppliant, no matter how feeble, and no matter how powerful the pursuer.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Writing one big check surrenders that $2,000 in each of the four off years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

A chairman who avoids discussing the outlook can’t explain the committee’s decisions and surrenders a tool for steering it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

He says that the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas surrenders.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025

Rather than transcending expectations, “Dangerous Animals” surrenders to them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025

‘To me it would not seem that a Steward who faithfully surrenders his charge is diminished in love or in honour,’ said Gandalf.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Then he surrendered a single to Mike Yastrzemski, a sacrifice fly to Austin Riley and a double to Sean Murphy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The Zambian opposition leader who was runner-up in this month's disputed presidential election surrendered to police on Thursday after two weeks in hiding following a summons over an alleged national security threat, state media reported.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Samarth initially could not be located but later surrendered to police.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

In his exit, Kubasik surrendered $58 million worth of unvested stock and severance payments that would have been worth about $9 million, according to data-provider Equilar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Once I’d surrendered all the unsavory old clothes to Aunt Kitty, I turned to a neat pile of fresh garments stacked on her bed.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Alcaraz edged the opener on a tie-break - but only after surrendering his advantage after breaking for a seemingly decisive 6-5 lead.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Datamaxxers are getting a DIY head start, although some worry about surrendering too much of their privacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

They included General Dietrich von Choltitz, the last Nazi commander in Paris, who arrived in late August 1944 after defying Hitler and surrendering the city.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

By the end, the Sparks spent the game playing catch-up, never regaining the lead after surrendering it in the first 49 seconds to Johnson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Once, in the middle of winter, someone opened a window while she was lecturing and threw ice water on her; instead of surrendering, Stone wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and kept talking.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• abandon
• capitulate
• cede
• commit
• concede
• give in
• hand over
• leave
• quit
• relinquish
• renounce
• submit
• succumb
• waive
• yield