To give up into the power, control, or possession of another.
A guide to surrender
• To yield (a town, a fortification, etc.) to an enemy.
• To give oneself up into the power of another, especially as a prisoner; to submit or give in.
• To give up possession of; to yield; to resign.
• To yield (oneself) to an influence, emotion, passion, etc.
• To abandon (one's hand of cards) and recover half of the initial bet.
• For a policyholder, to voluntarily terminate an insurance contract before the end of its term, usually with the expectation of receiving a surrender value.
(Noun) An act of surrendering, submission into the possession of another; a feeling of abandonment and resignation; the deliberate cessation of struggle over outcomes.
• The yielding or delivery of a possession in response to a demand.
• 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.
Why surrender is relevant in U.S. law
surrender appears in U.S. legal practice across multiple practice areas. Knowing what it means — and when it applies — can determine the outcome of motions, filings, and negotiations. For non-lawyers, the value of looking up a precise definition is that legal terms often carry meanings that differ from everyday usage; relying on the common meaning can lead to costly missteps.
When and how surrender applies
In practice, surrender is invoked when parties, judges, or attorneys need to identify the legal status of an issue, the rights of those involved, or the procedural step required next. The definition shown above is sourced from Wiktionary , which is widely cited in U.S. legal practice. Because U.S. law is jurisdictionally layered — federal, state, and sometimes local — the precise application of the term can vary by court, so check the controlling authority for your specific case.