surrender

American  

[suh-ren-der] / səˈrɛn dər /

verb (used with object)

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

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verb (used without object)

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

   Synonyms:

   capitulate

noun

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

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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

Related Words

See yield.

Other Word Forms

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

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” ( 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

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Iran had indicated it was prepared to surrender its enriched uranium and that getting Tehran to do so was a priority for the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

“Iran will not surrender the strait at this point,” said Gregory Brew, an Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group consulting firm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called the act a sign of moral collapse by “an enemy in disarray,” stating that such actions will not compel Iranians to surrender.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Samar shares the popular view that for every senior official "they've reportedly assigned three to seven successors. Like a hydra - you cut one head off, another grows back. They won't surrender any time soon."

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

The boy raises his hands in surrender, smirks, and turns away.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Related Words

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