1
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
the toddler surrendered the doll to her mother after a brief struggle the commander surrendered the garrison without having fired a single shot
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2
as in to succumb
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
the father refused to surrender to his son's constant begging for a BB gun
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3
as in to resign
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the aging queen refused to surrender the throne to her increasingly impatient heir
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4
as in to submit
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit)
determined to give up smoking, she so far has not surrendered to her incessant desire to have a cigarette
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5
as in to capitulate
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, thus ending the Civil War
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6
as in to indulge
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly
laid-off workers who surrender themselves to despair will almost certainly never regain their footing
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as in submission
the usually forced yielding of one's person or possessions to the control of another
the police demanded the surrender of all hostages as a condition for allowing the hijackers safe passage out of the country
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surrender
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Civic Center Plaza, at 1560 Broadway, was surrendered to Heitman in November 2024.
—Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 Dec. 2025
Those battleships, like the renowned USS Missouri, which hosted the Japanese surrender in 1945, were 887 feet long and displaced around 58,000 tons.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surrender
Verb
Badeaux revealed that Olive had been confined to a bathroom for 10 years before her former owners ultimately surrendered her for adoption.
—Noun
History buffs will want to visit Yorktown Battlefield, where the American Revolution ended in 1781 following the surrender of General Cornwallis.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender
Verb
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As Buffett relinquishes the helm, investors are increasingly focused on what disappears with him.—
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More typically, the figures in Marshall’s art are haunted by a past that refuses to relinquish its tenacious hold.—
Verb
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Trim away any roots that have succumbed to root rot.—
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Vasquez-Trinidad succumbed to her injuries two days after the crash, the outlets reported, citing the New York Police Department.—
Verb
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Days later, another member of the finance team, Carrie Truver, resigned.—
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Meanwhile, county leaders, including Executive Bob Cassilly, are calling for the superintendent to resign or be terminated.—
Verb
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Costco also submitted a traffic-impact analysis by Boise consulting firm Kittelson & Associates, indicating the development would generate just shy of 7,000 new vehicle trips per day.—
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The city reversed course and put the matter out to bid but ultimately rejected a proposal by Nikki Beach after saying its representatives missed a deadline to submit documents.—
Verb
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The skaters, staff, volunteers and fans were generous in indulging me.—
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José Daniel Ferrer’s life exposes the costs of indulging revolutionary illusions.—
Noun
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This burger beat out 600,000 fan submissions to get a spot on national menus, according to a press release.—
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The number of nominees will be proportional to the number of submissions in each genre with at least one nomination for each genre.—
Verb
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This transformation renders the target — the frozen limit — a finite object that a finite computer can handle.—
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Its three glittering diamonds had a powerful effect on Sophie Rhys-Jones—rendering her speechless.—
Verb
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But under questioning from Cruz, Vladeck conceded that approving a nondisclosure order without any factual proffer would be inconsistent with a judge’s oath, if that hypothetical were true.—
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To Spoelstra, what such an alignment concedes with spacing can be compensated with offensive rebounds, with the Heat prioritizing possessions.—
Cite this Entry
“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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