Meaning & use
submit to someone
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Meanings
phrasephrasal verb
To accept someone's power or authority and agree to obey them.
Grammar: Intransitive; the person you obey comes after 'to'. You submit to someone, not submit someone.
Patterns
- submit to someone
- submit to authority
The rebels refused to submit to the new government.
In some cultures, children are expected to submit to their parents' wishes.
He was not willing to submit to the unfair rules.
phrasephrasal verb
To send a document, plan, or piece of work to someone for them to consider or approve.
Grammar: Transitive: you submit something to someone. The thing comes before 'to'.
Patterns
- submit something to someone
- submit an application to someone
Please submit your report to the manager by Friday.
She submitted her manuscript to the publisher last month.
Students must submit their essays to the professor online.
Common combinations
- submit to authority
- Citizens are not always willing to submit to authority.
- refuse to submit to someone
- She refused to submit to her boss's demands.
- submit an application to someone
- You need to submit your application to the admissions office.
- submit a proposal to someone
- They submitted a proposal to the committee.
Synonyms and how they differ
- yield to
- Yield to someone means to stop resisting or give in; it is close but often suggests a physical or emotional surrender.
- obey
- Obey means to do what someone tells you; 'submit to' emphasizes accepting their power over you.
- hand in
- Hand in is informal and means to give a piece of work to a teacher or official; 'submit' is more formal.
Opposites
Word family
- submission noun
- The act of accepting authority or sending something for review.
- submissive adjective
- Willing to obey others without arguing.
Commonly confused: submit to someone or submittal?
submit to someone vs submittal
This is a rare noun meaning the act of submitting, mostly used in business. Do not confuse with the verb 'submit'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'submit to someone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
When 'submit to someone' means to accept authority, the person comes after 'to': 'submit to the dictator'. Options 1, 3, and 4 use 'submit to someone' with a direct object, which is wrong; they should be 'submit something to someone'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “submit to someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.