What does surrender mean?
Surrender means to stop resisting and yield to another person's authority, to acknowledge defeat, or to give up possession of something. The word is especially prominent in military language, where it describes the act of ceasing hostilities and placing oneself or one's forces under the opposing side's authority. It also has important legal uses: a person may surrender possession of property, and an accused person may give himself up to the authorities. Figuratively, to surrender means to yield to a stronger influence, such as temptation, emotion, or pressure. As a noun, surrender denotes the act itself or the condition of having ceased resistance. The related phrase unconditional surrender refers specifically to capitulation without agreed conditions, making it more forceful than the general term. Overall, surrender combines the ideas of yielding, relinquishing control, and accepting that further resistance is futile.
To yield to another person's authority, give up possession or control, or stop resisting and acknowledge defeat.
"The garrison surrendered after the surrounding troops threatened an assault."
In figurative contexts, the verb often takes the preposition to, as in surrender to temptation.
The act of yielding to another person's authority, relinquishing control or possession, or accepting defeat.
"The defeat and surrender of the rebel forces ended the campaign."
The noun commonly occurs in expressions such as unconditional surrender and surrender of control.
Plural is used for separate acts of surrender, especially in military, legal, or political accounts.
"The negotiations produced two separate surrenders by the hostile factions."
In battle, surrender can end a conflict without another assault; in law, it can transfer property or a person to another authority.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does surrender come from?
The word entered Middle English from Old French surrendre, a form influenced by Latin sur- and rendre. The verb ultimately draws on the same Latin root as render, relating to giving or delivering something. In English, its meaning developed from giving up or delivering a person or possession to another authority and later came to include acknowledgment of defeat and figurative yielding to an influence.
Related word forms
How surrender is actually used
The word is common in military, legal, political, and figurative contexts. In an unconditional surrender, a party abandons resistance without stated conditions; in figurative use, it often implies that resistance has become difficult or undesirable.
Easily confused with surrender
Surrender means to yield possession, control, or resistance, whereas retrieval means to regain possession or recover something.