What does submit mean?
Submit means to present something for another person or institution to consider, approve, or act upon, as in submitting an application, report, or proposal. The verb is especially common in formal, administrative, and legal contexts. It can also mean to make oneself subject to an authority or difficult condition: “He would not submit to their demands.” In argument or negotiation, submit may indicate conceding that a point is valid or that further resistance is pointless. These related meanings all suggest presenting, yielding, or placing something under another party's control or judgment. The word comes from Latin submittere, formed from sub-, meaning “under,” and mittere, meaning “send,” and has cognates such as commit, emit, omit, and transmit.
verbTo present a document, proposal, or other material for consideration or approval. It can also mean to make oneself subject to a person or authority, or to accept a difficult situation or condition.
- To present a document, application, proposal, report, or other material for consideration or approval.
- To make something available to an authority or other recipient, especially as a formal or official act.
- To subject oneself to a person, authority, or adverse condition; yield or accept something difficult.
- To concede a point or argument in a dispute or legal proceeding.
"Please submit your application before the deadline."
"The committee asked each department to submit a written proposal."
"He refused to submit to the demands of the occupying force."
Submit literally means to put or send something under another's authority: its Latin roots combine “under” and “send.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does submit come from?
Submit derives from Latin submittere, from sub- (“under”) and mittere (“send”), literally “to send under” or “to put under.” It entered English in the late Middle English period with the sense of placing something under someone else's authority. Its later meanings developed through the ideas of presenting a matter for decision and yielding or being subjected to authority.
Related word forms
How submit is actually used
In its first two senses, submit is common in formal and administrative contexts. “Submit to” can mean either voluntarily accept an authority or unwillingly yield to pressure, with the context determining whether the connotation is neutral or negative.
Easily confused with submit
Submit means to present something for consideration or approval, whereas transmit means to send or pass on information, a message, or a signal.