surrender

/səˈrɛndɚ/

Reviewed on

Also a noun

Meaning

  1. To stop fighting and admit defeat, giving oneself or one's forces up to an opponent.

    • The enemy troops decided to surrender after running out of supplies.

    • The tennis champion refused to surrender, even after losing the first two sets.

  2. To give up possession or control of something to someone else under demand or legal authority.

    • He had to surrender his passport to the court before being granted bail.

    • They refused to surrender the documents until their attorney arrived.

  3. To yield oneself entirely to a powerful emotion, habit, or influence.

    • After a frantic week, she surrendered to exhaustion and slept for ten hours.

    • He did not surrender to despair despite facing repeated career setbacks.

How it's used

When this means “yield to an opponent”

  • surrender to an opponent

“surrender to them.”

The tired team refused to surrender to their rivals.

When this means “hand something over to authority”

  • surrender a document
  • surrender a document to an official

“surrender it to them.”

You must surrender your old license at the DMV.

Collocations

  • surrender a passport
  • surrender a license
  • surrender control
  • surrender to authority
  • surrender peacefully
  • surrender unconditionally
  • surrender to exhaustion

Synonyms

Antonyms