SURRENDER Synonyms: 151 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'surrender' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surrender are abandon , relinquish , resign , waive , and yield . While all these words mean "to give up completely," surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist. // surrendered their claims

Q: In what contexts can 'abandon' take the place of 'surrender'?

While the synonyms abandon and surrender are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up. // abandoned all hope

Q: When might 'relinquish' be a better fit than 'surrender'?

The synonyms relinquish and surrender are sometimes interchangeable, but relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness. // relinquished her crown

Q: When would 'resign' be a good substitute for 'surrender'?

The words resign and surrender are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle. // resigned her position

Q: When can 'waive' be used instead of 'surrender'?

The meanings of waive and surrender largely overlap; however, waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion. // waived the right to a trial by jury

Q: When is it sensible to use 'yield' instead of 'surrender'?

In some situations, the words yield and surrender are roughly equivalent. However, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force. // the troops yielded ground grudgingly

surrender 1 of 2

verb

sə-ˈren-dər

Definition of surrender

as in to relinquish

to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress the toddler surrendered the doll to her mother after a brief struggle the commander surrendered the garrison without having fired a single shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to succumb

to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) the father refused to surrender to his son's constant begging for a BB gun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to resign

to give up (as a position of authority) formally the aging queen refused to surrender the throne to her increasingly impatient heir

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to submit

to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit) determined to give up smoking, she so far has not surrendered to her incessant desire to have a cigarette

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to capitulate

to yield to the control or power of enemy forces General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, thus ending the Civil War

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to indulge

to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly laid-off workers who surrender themselves to despair will almost certainly never regain their footing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

surrender

2 of 2

noun

as in submission

the usually forced yielding of one's person or possessions to the control of another the police demanded the surrender of all hostages as a condition for allowing the hijackers safe passage out of the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

resistance

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surrender different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of surrender are abandon, relinquish, resign, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

In what contexts can abandon take the place of surrender?

While the synonyms abandon and surrender are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

When might relinquish be a better fit than surrender?

The synonyms relinquish and surrender are sometimes interchangeable, but relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

When would resign be a good substitute for surrender?

The words resign and surrender are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When can waive be used instead of surrender?

The meanings of waive and surrender largely overlap; however, waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

When is it sensible to use yield instead of surrender?

In some situations, the words yield and surrender are roughly equivalent. However, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of surrender

Verb

And now comes a Baylor team that has held six straight opponents to 20 points or fewer to open the year — its best stretch to open a season since 1966 and longest streak of 20 or fewer points surrendered since 1986. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026 The former officials, 46-year-old Nikki Floris and 56-year-old Bradley Benavides, surrendered on arrest warrants Friday morning, the DOJ said in a press release. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Noun

This turn to sobriety felt less like determination than like surrender, a failure of will. — James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 When threats don’t speed wins In the pursuit of surrender, or at least a ceasefire, the promise of crushing defeat has rarely been enticing. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surrender

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender

Verb

Although dozens of islands were claimed through this process, the overwhelming bulk of these claims were relinquished in the late 20th century as the island countries of Oceania began to achieve independence.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
But the pro-Israel lobby is not relinquishing its political power, evidenced by its move to give more than $9 million to support Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race.

— Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of relinquish

Verb

Short enough to read in a single sitting, Sara Gran’s chilling story of an architect succumbing to demonic possession will leave readers stunned and unsettled.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 23 Oct. 2026
The city’s Medical Examiner ruled the victim’s death a homicide after determining Wong succumbed to stab wounds to his neck and torso.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of succumb

Verb

The officer, Shadrack Sibiya, resigned from the police service earlier this month following his arrest in September.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
The debate intensified after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned in September, publicly warning about the dangers of unchecked AI development.

— Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of resign

Verb

Trump has been criticized in the past for voting by mail despite his long history of railing against that method of submitting ballots.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
The Finnish firm Posiva will also need to submit periodic safety assessments every decade.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of submit

Noun

According to the Philadelphia Police Department's October 9 statement, the submission was flagged as spam and never forwarded to its Real-Time Crime Center for investigative review or distribution.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Martinez-Olguin took the matter under submission after the hearing and is expected to make a decision in the coming days.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of submission

Verb

Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of the military-grade Starlink service used by Ukraine, limiting the speeds at which connected hardware could travel and rendering some offensive and interceptor drones largely ineffective.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Authorities confirmed that the water at the plant had not been chlorinated for about three weeks, rendering it unsafe for human consumption.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of render

Verb

Fielder is not conventionally attractive, concedes Breca, a 26-year-old bisexual man in Pennsylvania, but the filmmaker’s salt-and-pepper hair and stubble did something for Breca nonetheless.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Vena said the current task is proving service is strong enough to hold customers trying rail, simultaneously conceding that not all will stay.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of concede

Browse Nearby Words

surreality

surrender

surrendered

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Surrender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrender. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of surrender

verb

noun

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