surrender

[səˈɹɛndəɹ]

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Surrender means giving up or yielding control, power, or possession. It's often used when someone or something must accept defeat.

When we talk about surrender, it usually comes up in situations where one side has to admit they can't win or do something anymore. Imagine you're playing a game and you realize your opponent is going to beat you - at that point, you might decide to surrender. This means you acknowledge their victory and stop trying to win. It's not always easy, but sometimes it's necessary.

How common is "surrender"?

Word surrender is considered uncommon in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

An act of surrendering, submission into the possession of another; abandonment, resignation.
The yielding or delivery of a possession in response to a demand.
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.

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capitulation

verb

To give up into the power, control, or possession of another.
(by extension) To yield (a town, a fortification, etc.) to an enemy.
To give oneself up into the power of another, especially as a prisoner; to submit or give in.
Example: I surrender!
To give up possession of; to yield; to resign.
Example: to surrender a right, privilege, or advantage
To yield (oneself) to an influence, emotion, passion, etc.
Example: to surrender oneself to grief, to despair, to indolence, or to sleep
To abandon (one's hand of cards) and recover half of the initial bet.
For a policyholder, to voluntarily terminate an insurance contract before the end of its term, usually with the expectation of receiving a surrender value.

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wave the white flaghand overovergive

Real examples of "surrender" in context

Game of Thrones Season 6: Episode #9 Clip - Battle of the Bastards (HBO)

Movie part

Surrender your army, and proclaim me

0:25

Tell me, will you let your little brother die because you're too proud to surrender?

2:23