surrender
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- renounce
-
to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
the act or an instance of surrendering.
- Synonyms:
- relinquishment, capitulation
-
Insurance. the voluntary abandonment of a life-insurance policy by the owner for any of its nonforfeiture values.
-
the deed by which a legal surrendering is made.
verb
-
(tr) to relinquish to the control or possession of another under duress or on demand
to surrender a city
-
(tr) to relinquish or forego (an office, position, etc), esp as a voluntary concession to another
he surrendered his place to a lady
-
to give (oneself) up physically, as or as if to an enemy
-
to allow (oneself) to yield, as to a temptation, influence, etc
-
(tr) to give up (hope, etc)
-
(tr) law to give up or restore (an estate), esp to give up a lease before expiration of the term
-
obsolete (tr) to return or render (thanks, etc)
-
to present oneself at court at the appointed time after having been on bail
noun
-
the act or instance of surrendering
-
insurance the voluntary discontinuation of a life policy by its holder in return for a consideration (the surrender value )
-
law
-
the yielding up or restoring of an estate, esp the giving up of a lease before its term has expired
-
the giving up to the appropriate authority of a fugitive from justice
-
the act of surrendering or being surrendered to bail
-
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
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.
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
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
This has shifted repeatedly, from initial calls for an "unconditional" Iranian surrender to a potential negotiated agreement.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
"They'll have to take us by force," said the man in his thirties, who fled his home with his wife and two-year-old son, insisting they "will not surrender".
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
Johnson tried to fire him, but Stanton refused to surrender his War Department offices.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
