submit

/səbˈmɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /səbˈmɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /səb-ˈmit/ (ame, mw)

submit — verb

  • submitpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • submitshe / she / it
  • submittedpast simple
  • submitting-ing form

1. to hand over a piece of writing such as a report, a form, or an application to t

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to hand over a piece of writing such as a report, a form, or an application to the person or group that will examine it and say what to do next

例句

Padma submitted her college application two weeks before the deadline.

submit + application + to + institution

All reports must be submitted to the department head by Friday.

passive: must be submitted + to + person

同義詞
  • hand in

    less formal than submit, common in educational settings

  • file

    specifically for legal or official documents

  • lodge

    British English, formal, used for complaints, appeals, or claims

反義詞
  • withdraw

    to take back a document or application before it is processed

文法句型

submit + noun + to + noun/pronoun

用法筆記

Frequently passive (be submitted). The person or body receiving the document is introduced by the preposition to. This sense is the most common meaning of submit across formal written English.

常見錯誤

❌I submitted a question to the teacher yesterday.
✅I asked the teacher a question yesterday.
💡submit is for formal documents or applications, not casual questions.
❌I submitted my homework to my mom.
✅I showed my homework to my mom.
💡submit is used with authority figures in formal contexts; for parents use show or give.

2. to suggest or argue that something is true, especially in a formal setting such

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to suggest or argue that something is true, especially in a formal setting such as a court, a meeting, or a piece of academic writing

例句

The defence lawyer submitted that her client had acted in self-defence.

submit + that-clause in legal context

I would respectfully submit that the committee has overlooked a key piece of evidence.

formal register: respectfully submit that…

同義詞
  • contend

    stronger than submit; implies active disagreement with an opposing view

  • maintain

    suggests a firm, continuing belief in the idea

  • argue

    more general than submit; covers both formal and informal reasoning

文法句型

submit + that-clause

用法筆記

Almost always followed by a that-clause. Common in legal arguments and formal debates. The adverb respectfully is frequently used before the verb ('I respectfully submit that…') as a politeness marker.

常見錯誤

❌I submitted that we should go to the beach.
✅I suggested that we should go to the beach.
💡submit that is too formal for casual suggestions; use suggest instead.

3. to accept a stronger person's authority or to agree reluctantly to their demands

3.動詞不及物B2
釋義

to accept a stronger person's authority or to agree reluctantly to their demands, because resisting seems useless or impossible

例句

After months of fighting, the rebel army finally submitted to the government.

submit + to + authority

Soraya refused to submit to the pressure and kept working on her own terms.

submit + to + pressure

同義詞
  • yield

    more neutral than submit; can be used for physical objects (yield an advantage) and abstract situations

  • give in

    less formal than submit; often suggests reluctance after initial resistance

  • surrender

    stronger than submit; implies complete loss of control or giving up entirely

反義詞
  • resist

    to actively oppose or fight against authority or pressure

  • defy

    to openly refuse to obey someone in authority

文法句型

submit + to + noun

submit + to + -ing form

用法筆記

Intransitive — requires the preposition to before the object. The subject loses or gives up something (freedom, pride, resistance). A stronger, more emotionally charged word than the near-synonyms yield or give in.

常見錯誤

❌He submitted the pressure from his boss.
✅He submitted to the pressure from his boss.
💡the preposition to is required after this sense of submit.
❌The dog submitted his owner.
✅The dog submitted to its owner.
💡submit must be followed by to (intransitive); without to it becomes sense 1 (to hand over a document).