Submit vs. Surrender — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 29, 2024
Submit involves presenting or yielding under authority or control, often in a formal process; surrender means giving up entirely, often in defeat or coercion.
Difference Between Submit and Surrender
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Submit often requires an individual or entity to present something for review, approval, or consideration, within a framework of rules or guidelines. For example, submitting a paper for academic evaluation follows specific standards. On the other hand, surrender conveys a complete relinquishment of control, typically as a result of coercion or inability to continue resistance, such as surrendering to authorities after a chase.
While submission can be a part of routine processes, such as submitting applications or documents, indicating compliance or acknowledgment, surrender is usually the result of an ultimatum or a situation with no viable alternatives, emphasizing a more dramatic loss of autonomy or freedom.
In legal contexts, to submit is to offer an argument or evidence in court, operating within the judicial process's competitive but regulated environment. Conversely, to surrender in legal terms might mean the act of giving oneself up to law enforcement, signifying the end of contention or avoidance.
In a more metaphorical sense, submitting to another's will or demands can sometimes retain a semblance of negotiation or gradual acceptance, whereas surrendering implies a more immediate and total acceptance of defeat, often without conditions.
Submission can imply a strategic move within a broader plan, suggesting calculation and foresight. Surrender, however, often comes at the end of one's resources or options, marked by a moment of capitulation that closes off further strategies.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Definition
To present for consideration or approval.
To give up completely or agree to forgo.
Context
Often procedural or formal.
Typically involves coercion or defeat.
Volition
Can be voluntary or mandated.
Usually involves a lack of alternatives.
Negotiability
May involve negotiation or revision.
Implies acceptance without negotiation.
Outcome
Doesn’t necessarily end the process.
Often signifies the end of an effort.
Compare with Definitions
Submit
To propose or suggest.
He submitted a new idea for the marketing campaign.
Surrender
To yield possession, typically under pressure.
The soldiers surrendered their weapons.
Submit
To give or present for judgment.
She submitted her project for the science fair.
Surrender
To abandon or relinquish.
He surrendered all hope of winning.
Submit
To defer to another's judgment.
I submit to your expertise on this matter.
Surrender
To relinquish control or authority.
She surrendered her position on the board.
Submit
To yield to governance or authority.
The company submitted to the new regulations.
Surrender
To give oneself up, as to law enforcement.
The fugitive surrendered to the police.
Submit
To enter (oneself) into a process.
They submitted their application for the grant.
Surrender
To give up or cease resistance.
They surrendered to the overwhelming evidence.
Submit
Submit is an EP by the British band Pitchshifter, released on 23 March 1992 by Earache on LP, MC and CD.French black metal band Blut aus Nord covered "Bastardiser" for their EP Debemur Morti.
Surrender
To relinquish possession or control of (something) to another because of demand or compulsion
Surrendered the city to the enemy.
Submit
To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.
Surrender
To give up in favor of another, especially voluntarily
Surrendered her chair to her grandmother.
Submit
To subject to a condition or process
Submit a tissue sample to testing.
Surrender
To give up or abandon
Surrender all hope.
Submit
To present (something) to the consideration or judgment of another
We submitted our ideas to our supervisor.
Surrender
To give over or resign (oneself) to something, as to an emotion
Surrendered himself to grief.
Submit
To offer as a proposition or contention
I submit that the terms are entirely unreasonable.
Surrender
(Law) To effectuate a surrender of.
Submit
To accept or give in to the authority, power, or will of another.
Surrender
To submit to the power of another, especially after resisting; give up.
Submit
To allow oneself to be subjected to something
Submit to an interview.
Submit to drug testing.
Surrender
The act or an instance of surrendering
The general demanded the unconditional surrender of the fort.
Submit
(intransitive) To yield or give way to another.
They will not submit to the destruction of their rights.
Surrender
(Law) The yielding of the possession of an estate to a party with a reversion or remainder interest in the estate, or of a lease to a landlord, prior to the term's expiration.
Submit
(transitive) To yield (something) to another, as when defeated.
Surrender
(transitive) To give up into the power, control, or possession of another.
Submit
(ambitransitive) To enter or put forward for approval, consideration, marking etc.
I submit these plans for your approval.
Surrender
To yield (a town, a fortification, etc.) to an enemy.
Submit
(transitive) To subject; to put through a process.
Surrender
To give oneself up into the power of another, especially as a prisoner; to submit or give in.
Don't shoot! I surrender!
Submit
To win a fight against (an opponent) by submission.
Surrender
(transitive) To give up possession of; to yield; to resign.
To surrender a right, privilege, or advantage
Submit
To let down; to lower.
Surrender
(reflexive) To yield (oneself) to an influence, emotion, passion, etc.
To surrender oneself to grief, to despair, to indolence, or to sleep
Submit
To put or place under.
Surrender
To abandon (one's hand of cards) and recover half of the initial bet.
Submit
To let down; to lower.
Sometimes the hill submits itself a while.
Surrender
For a policyholder, to voluntarily terminate an insurance contract before the end of its term, usually with the expectation of receiving a surrender value.
Submit
To put or place under.
The bristled throatOf the submitted sacrifice with ruthless steel he cut.
Surrender
An act of surrendering, submission into the possession of another; abandonment, resignation.
Submit
To yield, resign, or surrender to power, will, or authority; - often with the reflexive pronoun.
Ye ben submitted through your free assent.
The angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.
Surrender
The yielding or delivery of a possession in response to a demand.
Submit
To leave or commit to the discretion or judgment of another or others; to refer; as, to submit a controversy to arbitrators; to submit a question to the court; - often followed by a dependent proposition as the object.
Whether the condition of the clergy be able to bear a heavy burden, is submitted to the house.
We submit that a wooden spoon of our day would not be justified in calling Galileo and Napier blockheads because they never heard of the differential calculus.
Surrender
The yielding of the leasehold estate by the lessee to the landlord, so that the tenancy for years merges in the reversion and no longer exists.
Submit
To yield one's person to the power of another; to give up resistance; to surrender.
The revolted provinces presently submitted.
Surrender
To yield to the power of another; to give or deliver up possession of (anything) upon compulsion or demand; as, to surrender one's person to an enemy or to an officer; to surrender a fort or a ship.
Submit
To yield one's opinion to the opinion of authority of another; to be subject; to acquiesce.
To thy husband's willThine shall submit.
Surrender
To give up possession of; to yield; to resign; as, to surrender a right, privilege, or advantage.
To surrender up that right which otherwise their founders might have in them.
Submit
To be submissive or resigned; to yield without murmuring.
Our religion requires from us . . . to submit to pain, disgrace, and even death.
Surrender
To yield to any influence, emotion, passion, or power; - used reflexively; as, to surrender one's self to grief, to despair, to indolence, or to sleep.
Submit
Refer for judgment or consideration;
She submitted a proposal to the agency
Surrender
To yield; to render or deliver up; to give up; as, a principal surrendered by his bail, a fugitive from justice by a foreign state, or a particular estate by the tenant thereof to him in remainder or reversion.
Submit
Put before;
I submit to you that the accused is guilty
Surrender
To give up one's self into the power of another; to yield; as, the enemy, seeing no way of escape, surrendered at the first summons.
Submit
Yield to the control of another
Surrender
The act of surrendering; the act of yielding, or resigning one's person, or the possession of something, into the power of another; as, the surrender of a castle to an enemy; the surrender of a right.
That he may secure some liberty he makes a surrender in trust of the whole of it.
Submit
Hand over formally
Surrender
The yielding of a particular estate to him who has an immediate estate in remainder or reversion.
Submit
Refer to another person for decision or judgment;
She likes to relegate difficult questions to her colleagues
Surrender
The voluntary cancellation of the legal liability of the company by the insured and beneficiary for a consideration (called the surrender value).
Submit
Submit or yield to another's wish or opinion;
The government bowed to the military pressure
Surrender
Acceptance of despair
Submit
Accept or undergo, often unwillingly;
We took a pay cut
Surrender
A verbal act of admitting defeat
Submit
Make an application as for a job or funding;
We put in a grant to the NSF
Surrender
The delivery of a principal into lawful custody
Submit
Make over as a return;
They had to render the estate
Surrender
The act of surrendering (under agreed conditions);
They were protected until the capitulation of the fort
Submit
Accept as inevitable;
He resigned himself to his fate
Surrender
Give up or agree to forego to the power or possession of another;
The last Taleban fighters finally surrendered
Surrender
Relinquish possession or control over;
The squatters had to surrender the building after the police moved in
Surrender
Relinquish to the power of another; yield to the control of another
Common Curiosities
Do both terms imply loss?
Surrender implies a more significant loss, usually of control or freedom, whereas submit might not involve loss.
Is surrendering a strategic choice?
Surrendering is rarely strategic and more often signifies a last resort.
Can you submit voluntarily?
Yes, submission can be a voluntary act, such as submitting an application.
Is surrender always forced?
While not always physically forced, surrender often comes from a position of no viable alternatives.
What does it mean to surrender?
It means to give up completely, often as a result of being overwhelmed or defeated.
Is submitting a form the same as surrendering information?
Submitting a form is a procedural act, whereas surrendering information implies a more passive or compelled action.
Can surrender be seen as a form of submission?
While related, surrender is generally more total and final than submission.
What does it mean to submit something?
It means to present it for consideration, review, or judgment.
Can an individual submit an idea?
Yes, submitting an idea means proposing it for consideration.
Can you submit to authority without resisting?
Yes, submitting to authority can be a recognition of its legitimacy or superiority without resistance.
How do the terms apply in legal contexts?
In legal contexts, to submit can mean presenting evidence or arguments, while to surrender might mean giving oneself up to law enforcement.
What does it mean to surrender your rights?
It means to voluntarily give up those rights, often under duress or coercion.
Are there situations where submission is preferred over surrender?
Yes, in situations where control and negotiation are preferred, submission might be more strategic.
Can surrender lead to peace?
In conflicts, surrender can lead to peace by ending hostilities.
Do both terms have negative connotations?
Both can have negative connotations, but surrender typically carries a heavier implication of defeat.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Upset vs. Angry
Next Comparison
Absolute vs. TotalAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
