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surrender Meaning & Definition

/səˈɹɛndə(ɹ)/

What Does Surrender Mean?

As a verb, surrender means To give up into the power, control, or possession of another. It can also mean To yield (a town, a fortification, etc.) to an enemy. As a noun, it means An act of surrendering, submission into the possession of another; a feeling of abandonment and resignation; the deliberate cessation of struggle over outcomes.

Surrender: Key Facts

Part of speechverb, noun
Pronunciation//səˈɹɛndə(ɹ)//
Syllables1
Synonymsrelinquish, cede and deliver
Antonymsresist, withstand and hold out
Pluralsurrenders
Verb formssurrenders, surrendering, surrendered

Surrender Definition (Verb)

  1. To give up into the power, control, or possession of another.
  2. To yield (a town, a fortification, etc.) to an enemy.
  3. To give oneself up into the power of another, especially as a prisoner; to submit or give in.

    Don't shoot! I surrender!

  4. To give up possession of; to yield; to resign.

    to surrender a right, privilege, or advantage

  5. To yield (oneself) to an influence, emotion, passion, etc.

    to surrender oneself to grief, to despair, to indolence, or to sleep

  6. To abandon (one's hand of cards) and recover half of the initial bet.
  7. For a policyholder, to voluntarily terminate an insurance contract before the end of its term, usually with the expectation of receiving a surrender value.

Surrender as a Noun

  1. An act of surrendering, submission into the possession of another; a feeling of abandonment and resignation; the deliberate cessation of struggle over outcomes.
  2. The yielding or delivery of a possession in response to a demand.
  3. The yielding of the leasehold estate by the lessee to the landlord, so that the tenancy for years merges in the reversion and no longer exists.

Synonyms of Surrender

Surrender synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Surrender

Surrender in a Sentence

Don't shoot! I surrender!

to surrender a right, privilege, or advantage

to surrender oneself to grief, to despair, to indolence, or to sleep

Word Forms & Grammar

surrender (third-person singular simple present surrenders, present participle surrendering, simple past and past participle surrendered)

surrender (countable and uncountable, plural surrenders)

Words That Rhyme With Surrender

Origin of Surrender

Origin 1: From Middle English surrendren, from Old French surrendre, from sur- + rendre (“render”). Displaced native Old English on hand gān.

Origin 2: From Middle English surrendre, from Anglo-Norman surrendre, infinitive as noun.[1] Displaced native Old English handgang.

How Do You Say Surrender?

The standard pronunciation of surrender is //səˈɹɛndə(ɹ)//, spoken in 1 syllable.

Common Questions About Surrender

Is surrender a verb or a noun?

Surrender is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.

What is another word for surrender?

Close synonyms of surrender are relinquish, cede and deliver. See the full list of surrender synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of surrender?

The opposite of surrender can be expressed with words like resist, withstand, hold out and stand firm.

What is the plural of surrender?

The plural of surrender is surrenders.

What is the past tense of surrender?

The past tense of surrender is surrendered. The present participle is surrendering.

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