submit
suhb-MIT
/səbˈmɪt/
To yield to a superior force or to the authority of another person; to present for consideration.
Can mean physical surrender, psychological yielding, or the administrative act of handing in a document.
The story behind the word. From Latin submittere (to lower, put under, yield), from sub- (under) + mittere (to send, put).
Word relationships
- surrender: Surrender is giving up a fight, while submit is placing oneself under another's authority.
- withstand: Withstand is to hold out against force, while submit is to give in to it.
Commonly confused with
- present: Present means to show or offer, while submit means to hand in for formal judgment.
Word family
- submission (noun): The action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force.
- submissive (adjective): Ready to conform to authority.
Collocations
- submit to authority
- submit an application
- refuse to submit
Example sentences
- "I will submit to your decision, whatever it may be." A classic literary example of submission.
Memory hook
When you submit an assignment, you send it under the teacher's red pen for grading. Submit = Send under authority.
When not to use
Do not use submit when you mean concede a minor debate point unless you are yielding completely to their authority.
Fun facts
- The administrative sense of submit (to hand in a paper) comes from the idea of placing the document under the judge's eyes for inspection.
Related words
Also appears in
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