Zich overgeven
Example: Tijdens de oorlog moesten veel soldaten zich overgeven aan de vijand.
Definition
"Zich overgeven" means to surrender oneself, especially in a historical or military context, by ceasing resistance and submitting to an opponent's control or authority, as in soldiers giving up to the enemy during a war.
Etymology
The phrase "zich overgeven" comes from Dutch, where "zich" is a reflexive pronoun meaning oneself, and "overgeven" means to give over or hand over. Historically, it reflects the act of handing oneself over to an opposing force, a concept dating back to early uses of the verb "geven" (to give). Did you know? The compound expresses both the physical act and the state of submission.
Learn to use this word actively
"Zich overgeven" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - History - (A2) - set 1", containing 105 commonly used words.
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