Words / B2

s-uh-REND-uh/səˈrendə/

To surrender is to stop fighting and admit defeat, or to give something up to authority: Germany’s surrender; surrender a passport. Give in is everyday; capitulate is more formal. Germany’s surrender is a date in the timeline. Noun: surrender. Mix-up: surround is to encircle (already elsewhere); render is to make or give. Do not write surrender for “surround the building”.

Meaning

To stop fighting and admit defeat; also to give something up to authority.

Examples

• “Germany’s surrender is a date in the timeline, not a mood in the source.”
• “Surrender the phone at the door, which is the hand-over sense.”

Good to know

surrender to; surrender + object; unconditional surrender. Everyday: give in. Trap: surround / render. History, news, and security. Give in or hand over, not encircle.

Near in meaning

capitulate

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