submission

American  

[suhb-mish-uhn] / səbˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

1. an act or instance of submitting, or yielding control to a more powerful or authoritative entity: Unable to escape a grappling hold, the wrestler had to signal his submission.

   The occupying troops demanded complete submission from the remaining civilians.

   Unable to escape a grappling hold, the wrestler had to signal his submission.

2. the act or condition of submitting something for consideration, approval, treatment, or action: The submission of seeds to moderate radiation produced dwarf plants with stem mutations.

   The submission of your thesis paper is expected in the final semester of study.

   The submission of seeds to moderate radiation produced dwarf plants with stem mutations.

3. something that is submitted: The committee will review your submission and critique your portfolio.

   Do not post any submissions to the comments section that violate the terms of service for this site.

   The committee will review your submission and critique your portfolio.

4. Law. an agreement between parties involved in a dispute to abide by the decision of an arbitrator or arbitrators.

---

submission British  

/ səbˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of submitting

2. something submitted; a proposal, argument, etc

3. the quality or condition of being submissive to another

4. the act of referring a document, etc, for the consideration of someone else

5. law

   1. an agreement by the parties to a dispute to refer the matter to arbitration

   2. the instrument referring a disputed matter to arbitration

6. (in wrestling) the act of causing such pain to one's opponent that he submits Compare fall

7. archaic a confession of error

---

Other Word Forms

• nonsubmission noun
• presubmission noun
• resubmission noun

Etymology

Origin of submission

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, MIddle French, from Latin submissiōn- (stem of submissiō ) “a letting down, lowering, dropping”; sub-, mission

Explanation

If a teacher asks for your submission, she might want you to obey her every command like a drone or, on the other hand, she may want just you to turn something in for her approval. The noun submission is the act of giving in to a stronger power. If someone winds up in jail, the guards there will demand the prisoner's submission. Alternatively, this word can refer to something that you submit to someone else. If you write an article and send it to a magazine to see if they will publish it, your article would be called a submission. Good luck!

Example Sentences

Maguire denied in his written submission that he directed the words towards Donohue or any of the other match officials present.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Ballerina Farm, where former ballet dancer Hannah Neeleman makes a spectacle of her wifely submission, has over 10 million Instagram followers, despite a recent scandal over her company’s raw milk sales.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 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

Islamic fasting is oriented toward submission to divine will, while Christian penance is animated by gratitude for the incarnate God who suffered, died and rose again for the salvation of humanity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The Director means to scare people into submission.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

• capitulation
• resignation