What does "capitulate" mean?
Alternative form of capitoulate
Capitulate
/kəˈpɪt͡ʃ.jʊ.leɪt/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Alternative form of capitoulate
- Grammar: capitulate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abandon, accede, accept, acknowledge defeat.
- Useful contrasts: weather the storm, weathers the storm, contest.
- Usage evidence: Tom had no choice but to capitulate.
How to use "capitulate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "capitulate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "capitulate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "capitulate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "capitulate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "capitulate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abandon" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "capitulate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Alternative form of capitoulate alt-of, alternative
Verb
- 1 To surrender on stipulated terms, end all resistance, give up, go along with or comply. intransitive
"He argued and hollered for so long that I finally capitulated just to make him stop."
- 2 surrender under agreed conditions wordnet
- 3 To draw up in chapters, heads or articles; to enumerate, specify. ambitransitive, obsolete
"The lawes […] which we capitulate at sea […] are not used on lande."
- 4 To draw up articles of agreement with; to propose terms, treat, bargain, parley. obsolete, transitive
"there capitulates with the king […] to take to wife his daughter Mary"
- 5 To make conditions, stipulate, agree, formulate, conclude (upon something). obsolete, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Capitulated: agreed upon, convened, settled on, stipulated. obsolete
"It was capitulate and convenanted, that […] the river Himera, […]"
- 2 Reduced to heads, laid down under a certain number of heads or items. obsolete
- 3 Having or forming a capitulum.
"The aggregation of flowers into capitulate inflorescences is a character directly advantageous from the aspect of the biological function of cross-pollination."
Example
"Tom had no choice but to capitulate."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "capitulate"?
Common synonyms include: abandon, accede, accept, acknowledge defeat, acquiesce, agree.
How do you use "capitulate" in a sentence?
Tom had no choice but to capitulate.
How do you pronounce "capitulate"?
Pronounced /kəˈpɪt͡ʃ.jʊ.leɪt/.
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1537; borrowed from Medieval Latin capitulātus perfect passive participle of Medieval Latin capitulō (“(originally; of a book, text) to draw up under distinct headings; (from the 15ᵗʰ c.) to bargain, parley, convene”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from capitulum (“heading, chapter, title”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), diminutive of caput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.