capitulate

[kuh-pich-uh-leyt] /kəˈpɪtʃ əˌleɪt/
verb (used without object), capitulated, capitulating.
1.
to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms.
2.
to give up resistance:
He finally capitulated and agreed to do the job my way.
Origin
1570-80; < Medieval Latin capitulātus (past participle of capitulāre to draw up in sections), equivalent to capitul(um) section (literally, small head; see capitulum) + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
capitulant, noun
capitulator, noun
uncapitulated, adjective
uncapitulating, adjective
Can be confused
capitulate, recapitulate.
Synonyms
2. yield, acquiesce, accede, give in.
Examples from the web for capitulate
  • You must capitulate, surrender, jump in and go with the flow.
  • Faced with an omnipotent enemy, mankind's only alternative is to refuse to capitulate and to attempt to endure.
  • Market bottoms don't typically occur until panic surges and investors capitulate en masse.
  • The fact that you talk doesn't mean that you capitulate, it doesn't mean that you don't negotiate hard.
  • Certainly the present holders of economic power are not going to capitulate until they are faced with overwhelming odds.
  • If she can't get me to capitulate with claims of impending heart attacks, she'll call my dad and freak him out.
  • Denmark should not capitulate to fear.
  • The challenge is in how to get him to capitulate to your plan without thinking (much) less of you.
  • If the target is going to lose, they capitulate or find an alternative white knight acquirer beforehand.
  • He has seemingly no escape, and must fight or capitulate.
British Dictionary definitions for capitulate

capitulate

/kəˈpɪtjʊˌleɪt/
verb
1.
(intransitive) to surrender, esp under agreed conditions
Derived Forms
capitulator, noun
Word Origin
C16 (meaning: to arrange under heads, draw up in order; hence, to make terms of surrender): from Medieval Latin capitulare to draw up under heads, from capitulumchapter
Contemporary definitions for capitulate
verb

to divide into chapters, put under titles or headings

Word Origin

Latin capitulum 'titles, chapters'

Usage Note

transitive

Word Origin and History for capitulate
v.

1570s, "to draw up in chapters" (i.e., under "heads"), in part a back-formation from capitulation, in part from Medieval Latin capitulatus, past participle of capitulare "to draw up in heads or chapters, arrange conditions." Often of terms of surrender, hence meaning "to yield on stipulated terms" (1680s). Related: Capitulated; capitulating.