surrender
Americanverb (used with object)
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surrenders,
present (3rd person singular)
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surrendered,
past participle, past
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surrendering
present participle
-
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.
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to give (oneself ) up, as to the police.
-
to give (oneself ) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc..
He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.
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to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- renounce
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to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.
verb (used without object)
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surrenders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
surrendered,
past participle, past
-
surrendering
present participle
noun
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surrenders
plural
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the act or an instance of surrendering.
- Synonyms:
- relinquishment, capitulation
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Insurance. the voluntary abandonment of a life-insurance policy by the owner for any of its nonforfeiture values.
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the deed by which a legal surrendering is made.
verb
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(tr) to relinquish to the control or possession of another under duress or on demand
to surrender a city
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(tr) to relinquish or forego (an office, position, etc), esp as a voluntary concession to another
he surrendered his place to a lady
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to give (oneself) up physically, as or as if to an enemy
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to allow (oneself) to yield, as to a temptation, influence, etc
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(tr) to give up (hope, etc)
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(tr) law to give up or restore (an estate), esp to give up a lease before expiration of the term
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obsolete (tr) to return or render (thanks, etc)
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to present oneself at court at the appointed time after having been on bail
noun
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the act or instance of surrendering
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insurance the voluntary discontinuation of a life policy by its holder in return for a consideration (the surrender value )
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law
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the yielding up or restoring of an estate, esp the giving up of a lease before its term has expired
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the giving up to the appropriate authority of a fugitive from justice
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the act of surrendering or being surrendered to bail
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the deed by which a legal surrender is effected
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Synonym Usage
See yield.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonsurrendernoun
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presurrendernoun
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surrenderernoun
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prosurrenderadjective
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unsurrenderedadjective
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unsurrenderingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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surrendersimple
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surrenderssimple
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have surrenderedperfect
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has surrenderedperfect
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am surrenderingprogressive
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are surrenderingprogressive
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is surrenderingprogressive
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have been surrenderingperfect progressive
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has been surrenderingperfect progressive
Past
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surrenderedsimple
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had surrenderedperfect
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was surrenderingprogressive
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were surrenderingprogressive
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had been surrenderingperfect progressive
Future
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!"
Vocabulary lists containing surrender
Workshop 4, Part 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Journalists arrived at the press conference primed to write about Coca-Cola’s apparent surrender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The British businessman told the Press Association he had to "surrender" the weapon he travelled with as he did not have the right documents to correctly import it.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 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
The Sheriff’s Department dispatched a team of specialized crisis negotiators who attempted to negotiate his surrender, but the man refused to exit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
It’s not long before I surrender to Tano’s power and slip into another sea of darkness.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
Don’t miss: Tesla’s stock surrenders gains after earnings.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026
Rather than transcending expectations, “Dangerous Animals” surrenders to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
Eventually, the U.S. surrenders after a German nuclear attack; and America is occupied by Nazi Germany along the eastern seaboard and Japan on the West Coast, with a pseudo-independent Vichy regime in the Rockies.
From Salon ● May 17, 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
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
He was among thousands of insurgents who surrendered in late 2001 as a US-led coalition ousted the group.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Last year, dozens of journalists surrendered Pentagon credentials rather than agree to new restrictions on their reporting.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Their defense surrendered five touchdowns, including an 83-yard punt return.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Mr. Merryweather had had it whispered to him that it had been bought for a honeymoon—Young Lord L—had surrendered to, Cupid at last!
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
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
He looked primed for a comeback victory but a different, depleted Draper returned for the third set, surrendering the opening game having led 40-15.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The job has to measure up to the trade-off of precious time he’s surrendering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
In contrast, Ulysses S. Grant illustrates a more-challenging leadership path, namely reconciliation without surrendering principle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The Dutch military held out for barely three weeks before surrendering to Hitler.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
