What does surrender mean Meaning and Definition

Pronunciation

/ˈsʌrˌnɪndər/ 🔊

Part of Speech

Noun, Verb

Definition

The act of giving up or yielding to a force, situation, or person; the state of being conquered or overcome; to admit defeat or acknowledge defeat.

Examples

• The last line of defense surrendered to the enemy.
• The company surrendered its assets to the bank in bankruptcy.

Synonyms

• Yield
• Capitulate
• Submit

Antonyms

• Fight
• Resist
• Rise up

Etymology

The word “surrender” comes from Old French “surrendre”, which is derived from Latin “sur-rendere”, meaning “to give back again” or “to yield back”.

Usage Notes

Surrender is often used to describe a voluntary act of giving up, but it can also imply a lack of choice or coercion.

Cultural References

In popular culture, surrender is often depicted as a means of achieving peace or resolution, such as in the song “We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters, where the lyrics say “So now people say we’re two old friends / Why don’t we meet for dinner like we do, and then we both could surrender”.

Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases

Surrender is often used in idiomatic expressions such as “to surrender to the temptation” or “to surrender to one’s emotions”.

Related Words or Phrases

Words or phrases closely related to surrender include “yield”, “capitulate”, “submit”, and “cede”.

Collocations

Surrender is often used in collocations such as “to surrender one’s guns” or “to surrender to the enemy”.

Frequency of Use

Surrender is a relatively common word in modern language, particularly in contexts related to war, politics, or personal relationships.

Common Misspellings

Common misspellings of surrender include “surrender”, “surrendor”, and “surrende”.