Meaning & use
submission
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The act of accepting someone else's power or giving in to a demand.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural: submission to authority, not 'a submission to authority'.
Patterns
- submission to someone
- submission to something
The rebels finally showed submission to the new government.
Her submission to his demands surprised everyone.
He bowed his head in submission.
nouncountable
A piece of work, such as an essay or application, sent to be reviewed or judged.
Grammar: Can be counted: one submission, two submissions.
Patterns
- send a submission
- receive a submission
- a submission to a contest
The magazine received over a hundred submissions.
Please send your submission by Friday.
Her submission won first prize.
nouncountablesport
A hold or technique in wrestling or martial arts that forces an opponent to give up.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'submission hold' or 'by submission'.
Patterns
- win by submission
- apply a submission
He won the match by submission.
She applied a submission hold and the opponent tapped out.
The fighter is known for his submissions.
Word forms
| plural | submissions |
|---|
Common combinations
- submission to authority
- The rebels showed submission to authority.
- make a submission
- You must make a submission to the committee.
- online submission
- Online submission is preferred.
- submission deadline
- The submission deadline is tomorrow.
- win by submission
- He won by submission in the second round.
Synonyms and how they differ
- compliance
- Compliance means obeying rules or requests, often without resistance; it is more neutral than submission, which can suggest giving in to power.
- obedience
- Obedience is doing what you are told; submission is accepting the other person's control, often after resistance.
- yielding
- Yielding is the act of giving way; submission is stronger and suggests accepting defeat or control.
Opposites
Word family
- submit verb
- To accept someone's power or send work for review.
- submissive adjective
- Willing to accept control or obey.
- submissively adverb
- In a way that shows willingness to obey.
- submittable adjective
- Able to be submitted.
Commonly confused: submission or submission?
submission vs submission
Not to be confused with 'submersion', which means the act of going under water.
Practice
The rebels finally showed ______ to the new government.
Choose one answer.
The noun 'submission' fits after 'showed'. 'Submissive' is an adjective, 'submit' is a verb, and 'submissively' is an adverb, so none fit grammatically here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “submission”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.