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

Darren Waller’s choice to surrender knowing what’s next Asking Waller about the offseason isn’t all that difficult now. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 Plum, 32, will likely get the hard sell from Phoenix after the Mercury surrendered a first-round pick and Monique Akoa Makani to acquire her. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Noun

The spread between what a carrier offers on surrender and what the secondary market will pay is often not small. — Rob Haynie, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Judge rejects $1 million bond proposal Petruzzi proposed releasing Handal on a $1 million personal surety bond secured by his Miami home, with home confinement and surrender of travel documents. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surrender

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrender

Verb

She was only forced to relinquish the title when she was drafted to the Raw brand.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Moon, meanwhile, is struggling at school but on the precipice of adulthood; as the young woman begins to make her own decisions in life, Yue must relinquish a degree of maternal responsibility.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of relinquish

Verb

As more and more people succumb to AI psychosis, horror movies are (as always) the first to dive into the repercussions.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
The pair had a fractured, even abusive, relationship, depicted in a series of flashbacks, until Mitt chose to end his life in the sea rather than succumb to a terminal case of cancer.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of succumb

Verb

Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
Guilfoyle confirmed her exit in a post on X, shortly after the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, told reporters that the administration had asked her to resign.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of resign

Verb

Queries were also submitted to an unnamed AI chatbot account associated with Alfozan’s wife, requesting information on how to capture audio, use passive scanning in live listening and encrypt an SD card, among other prompts, the complaint said.

— Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
The decision was posted on the White House website late in the evening, and the notification noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.

— Will Weissert, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of submit

Verb

There was no mention of a funeral in Adrien’s letter, and for a moment, Adelaide indulged the thought of ordering a carriage for Moscow.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Accessories-wise, indulge your inner maximalist with some color-contrasting jewelry (or go simple with sleek silver).

— Corinne Pierre-Louis, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of indulge

Verb

All of this can make inflation a self-fulfilling prophecy, rendering the monetary policy tools at the Fed's disposal less effective in slowing price growth.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Vivier’s signature buckle can be rendered in gold or silver, with colored brass available on select styles.

— Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of render

Verb

Hollywood executives at a panel featuring UTA, Gold House, Lionsgate and HYBE saw an opening for Asian talent and stories rooted in specific cultures, while conceding that getting projects funded is still a struggle.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Yet there are few examples in history of adversaries conceding to maximalist demands in the face of punitive bombing campaigns alone—even by the world’s greatest air force.

— Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of surrender

verb

noun

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