surrender

1 of 2

verb

sur·​ren·​der sə-ˈren-dər How to pronounce surrender (audio)
surrendered; surrendering sə-ˈren-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce surrender (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand
surrendered the fort
b
: to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another
2
a
: to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner
b
: to give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence)

intransitive verb

: to give oneself up into the power of another : yield

surrender

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the action of yielding one's person or giving up the possession of something especially into the power of another
b
: the relinquishment by a patentee of rights or claims under a patent
c
: the delivery of a principal into lawful custody by bail

called also surrender by bail

d
: the voluntary cancellation of the legal liability of an insurance company by the insured and beneficiary for a consideration
e
: the delivery of a fugitive from justice by one government to another
2
: an instance of surrendering
Choose the Right Synonym for surrender

relinquish, yield, resign, surrender, abandon, waive mean to give up completely.

relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

Examples of surrender in a Sentence

Verb The enemy finally surrendered after three days of fighting. The gunman surrendered and was taken into custody. The troops were forced to surrender the fort. They were required to surrender their passports. the surrendering of land to the government He refused to surrender to despair. He refused to surrender himself to despair. Noun Their surrender was formalized in a treaty. They demanded an unconditional surrender.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Weisselberg surrendered to the D.A.’s office Monday morning and entered court in handcuffs and a mask. Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Erik Menendez, who was out of the country at the time, surrendered to police days later. Natalie Morales, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2024 Drawing inspiration from Gracie’s journey, Phillips founded the Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation in 2015 to give a loving home to abused, neglected, abandoned, and surrendered animals. Gabby Shacknai, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The 57-year-old surrendered at the San Diego Police Department Eastern Division station in Serra Mesa on Tuesday, according to police officials. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024 Those laws allow parents to surrender newborns to safe spaces such as hospitals and fire stations, placing the infant in a recipient’s arms, without risk of prosecution for abandonment. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 Sora first arrived at Valley Animal Center — the largest no-kill shelter in California's Central Valley — over 900 days ago after the dog's previous owner surrendered the pet. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 Read More: How Ukraine Is Really Doing This does not mean that Ukraine should be asked to formally surrender these lands, for that would be impossible for any Ukrainian government. TIME, 24 Feb. 2024 The Cyclones bring in the fourth-best defense in the country, surrendering only 92.0 points per 100 possessions. Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
And so there is a nice kind of surrender to going back [to modeling]. Liam Hess, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024 Her savvy use of a white sheet to replace the Confederate flag created a makeshift flag of surrender. Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2024 Alderney was the last place in Europe to be liberated, a full nine days after Germany’s formal surrender. Rebecca Panovka, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 Eubanks had to bring it or Drummond was going to force his surrender before scoring. The Arizona Republic, 23 Jan. 2024 Fact check: Ukraine-Russia war is ongoing; viral claim of Zelenskyy surrender is baseless NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance with two North American countries – the U.S. and Canada – and 29 European countries. USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 While the shelter is once again accepting surrenders, too many dogs lead to enclosures that are roughly half the shelter’s preferred size and popup kennels in hallways and offices. TIME, 8 Jan. 2024 Soldiers who had been captured appeared to want to justify their surrender, saying their commanders had set them up for failure through poor training, planning and provision of supplies. Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 America's surrender in April was followed by the brutal Bataan Death March. Kerry J. Byrne Fox News, Fox News, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surrender.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English surrendren, from surrendre, noun

Noun

Middle English surrendre, from Anglo-French, from surrendre, susrendre to relinquish, from sur- & sus-, suz under + rendre to give back — more at render, sous-chef

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of surrender was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near surrender

Cite this Entry

“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surrender. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

surrender

1 of 2 verb
sur·​ren·​der sə-ˈren-dər How to pronounce surrender (audio)
surrendered; surrendering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce surrender (audio)
1
: to give over to the power, control, or possession of another especially by force
2
: to give oneself over to something

surrender

2 of 2 noun
: the giving of oneself or something into the power of another person or thing

Legal Definition

surrender

1 of 2 transitive verb
sur·​ren·​der
1
a
: to yield to the control or possession of another
surrender the leased premises
surrender collateral to a creditor
b
: to give up completely or agree to forgo
c
: to cancel (one's insurance policy) voluntarily
2
: to give over to the custody of the law
surrender a defendant

intransitive verb

: to give oneself up

surrender

2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of surrendering
discharge an obligor by surrender of a promissory note
especially : the yielding of an estate by a tenant to the landlord so that the leasehold interest is extinguished by mutual agreement

More from Merriam-Webster on surrender

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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