Capitulate and its synonyms yield, submit, and succumb all mean to give way to someone or something, but have a few slight differences in emphasis. Yield may apply to any sort or degree of bowing to force, debate, or pleading ("yields too easily in any argument"). Submit suggests surrender, after resistance, to the will or control of another ("the soldiers submitted to their captors"). Succumb imputes weakness and helplessness to the person giving in, or an overwhelming power to the opposition ("succumbing to temptation"). Capitulate stresses the termination of all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms, as with an adversary, or hopelessness before an irresistible opposing force ("team owners capitulated to the demands of the players' union").
yield may apply to any sort or degree of giving way before force, argument, persuasion, or entreaty.
yields too easily in any argument
submit suggests full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another.
a repentant sinner vowing to submit to the will of God
capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms (as with an adversary) or hopelessness in the face of an irresistible opposing force.
officials capitulated to the protesters' demands
succumb implies weakness and helplessness to the one that gives way or an overwhelming power to the opposing force.
a stage actor succumbing to the lure of Hollywood
relent implies a yielding through pity or mercy by one who holds the upper hand.
finally relented and let the children stay up late
defer implies a voluntary yielding or submitting out of respect or reverence for or deference and affection toward another.
I defer to your expertise in these matters
Example Sentences
The country still refuses to capitulate despite its weakening army and dwindling resources. The teacher refused to capitulate: no calculators were to be used during the exam.
Recent Examples on the WebThe Legislature didn’t capitulate to Baker’s suggested amendment on power generated by burning wood. Dharna Noor, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2022 Indeed, Russia’s initial strategy was to overwhelm Ukrainian defense forces, seize Kiev, and force the government to capitulate. Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 31 July 2022 Russia directly and through an intermediary tried to get the Ukrainian government to capitulate in the initial hours of the war. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 Yet the students remained dissatisfied when the university refused to totally capitulate and declined to label bathrooms and housing plans as all-gender. Aron Ravin, National Review, 3 Apr. 2022 Every general strike called by UGTT since 2011 has forced authorities to capitulate to union demands, said Youssef Cherif, who heads the Columbia Global Centers chapter in Tunis. Jihen Laghmari, Bloomberg.com, 16 June 2022 The Rockets continue to insist on the inclusion of draft compensation in any deal and the Lakers remain steadfast in their refusal to capitulate. Rahat Huq, Chron, 13 June 2022 Take the opportunity to stand out when people tend to capitulate. Melanie Marten, Forbes, 24 June 2022 The choice of Colescott to represent the United States at the 1997 Venice Biennale initiated a general surrender to his ineluctable power, though most of America’s upper-crust institutions have yet to capitulate. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Medieval Latin capitulatus, past participle of capitulare to distinguish by heads or chapters, from Late Latin capitulum — see capitulary