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.
-
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:
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
After spending years building diplomatic and police relations, Ireland and the U.A.E. in 2024 entered into a formal extradition treaty to facilitate the surrender of individuals accused or convicted of crimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
"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
She must also surrender her passport, adhere to a curfew, provide her phone number to gardaí, and sign on daily at garda station in County Kildare.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
To mount them was to surrender your footing, to move into their domain.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Writing one big check surrenders that $2,000 in each of the four off years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
District Judge Margaret Garnett released Van Dyke while he awaits trial, on conditions including that he surrenders his passport and any firearms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
The animals are also trained to come away when told and to leave anyone who surrenders.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2025
Rather than transcending expectations, “Dangerous Animals” surrenders to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
Berlin surrenders; Goring surrenders; the great mysterious vault of Nazism falls open.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
After commanding the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, Washington voluntarily surrendered his military commission to Congress rather than retaining control of the army.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
He said the move could see hundreds of thousands of guns surrendered.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The two-run homer he surrendered to Diamondbacks switch hitter Ketel Marte in the first inning was the ninth home run he has given up in three starts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Gray surrendered at the scene and has remained in custody.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
September 1943 also marked a significant milestone in the war: Germany’s Axis partner Italy surrendered to the Allies.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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
In contrast, Ulysses S. Grant illustrates a more-challenging leadership path, namely reconciliation without surrendering principle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 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 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.
