surrender
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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)
noun
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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
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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:
"We had no choice but to surrender" to our fate, he told reporters at the Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya, where he was waiting to retrieve the body of a colleague.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
As U.S. forces closed in on Japan in 1945, the nation’s military leaders refused to consider surrender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Pausing such operations long enough to reassess protocols was not surrender.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Sources familiar with the operation but not authorized to speak publicly said U.S. federal agents had been in contact with Guzmán López, and were pressuring him to surrender.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
He turned his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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
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
Finally he surrenders his surprise, looks away, and drinks.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
International hotel chains have surrendered their operations, and the dwindling tourism industry has denied the insolvent government an essential revenue source.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
In Popular Constitutionalism, Kramer describes this tradition as one that “we seem to have lost, or surrendered, today.”
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Despite being fit enough to play, the Arsenal winger remained an unused substitute as Thomas Tuchel's side surrendered a 1-0 lead in the closing stages to lose 2-1 to holders Argentina.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The atmosphere was tense, as crisis negotiations continued until early Friday morning when the two employees were safely surrendered, and Hendrickson and his adult son, Phoenix, were taken into custody, LaRue said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 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
The job has to measure up to the trade-off of precious time he’s surrendering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
If every click to enable an app or service amounted to surrendering Fourth Amendment protection, constitutional privacy would steadily evaporate as technology became more sophisticated.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
The broader market cheered the sharp retreat in oil prices, with crude surrendering most of the gains triggered by the Iran war and approaching prewar levels.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
After missing out on six World Cups in a row, and maybe surrendering to fatalism along the way, game day is upon us here in the United States.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 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.
