capitulation

noun

ca·​pit·​u·​la·​tion kə-ˌpi-chə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce capitulation (audio)
Synonyms of capitulation
1
: a set of terms or articles (see article sense 1c) constituting an agreement between governments
2
a
: the act of surrendering or yielding
the capitulation of the defenders of the besieged town
b
: the terms of surrender

Synonyms of capitulation

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of capitulation in a Sentence

her sudden capitulation surprised everyone; she usually debated for hours
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The capitulation of Germany is at hand, the Third Reich's unconditional surrender just days away. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Critics decry the move as capitulation to Trump, but the prime minister maintains Canada is in a good position and that such exemptions would jump-start further trade talks. — Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026 Even Vanguard's capitulation follows the pattern in miniature. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026 The invitation to rest looks too much like resignation, like capitulation to the reality-denying luxuries of the good life. — Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for capitulation

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French capitulacion "division into parts, treaty, convention," borrowed from Medieval Latin capitulātiōn-, capitulātiō "dividing into chapters, drawing up heads of agreement" (Late Latin, "listing of subject headings"), from capitulum "heading or division of a document, chapter" + Latin -ātiōn-, -ātiō -ation

Note: The Latin noun is probably in part back-derived from rēcapitulātiō—see recapitulate. For sense development see note at capitulate.

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of capitulation was in 1535

Rhymes for capitulation

See All Rhymes for capitulation

Browse Nearby Words

capitulate
capitulation
capitulator
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Capitulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitulation. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on capitulation

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about capitulation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All