What does “capitulate” mean?
- 1
verbto stop resisting and accept the demands of an opponent
After a long strike, the company finally capitulated.
- 2
verbto surrender to an enemy, usually on agreed terms
The city capitulated after a three-month siege.
Capitulate at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /kəˈpɪtʃəˌleɪt/ · kuh-PICH-uh-layt
How to use “capitulate” correctly
Followed by “to”. Suggests giving in after a long struggle.
Common phrases with “capitulate”
- capitulate to demands
- refuse to capitulate
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- surrender
- yield
- give in
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- resist
- hold out
Word family
- capitulation
“capitulate” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- accede verbC2to agree to a request or demand, often after first refusing
- appease verbC2to calm someone by giving them what they want
- arbitrate verbC2to officially judge a disagreement between two sides as a neutral person
- besiege verbC2to surround a place with an army to force it to surrender
- cede verbC2to give up land, power or rights to someone else, usually unwillingly
- consecrate verbC2to officially make a place or object holy in a religious ceremony
- depose verbC2to remove a ruler or leader from power, often by force
- deprave verbC2to make someone morally bad or evil