to wave the white flag
4
4.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
rendir
- After battling for hours, the team finally decided to wave the white flag and admit their defeat.
- wave the white flag of surrender
Donald Trump has handed over and waved the white flag to a very weak Vladimir Putin.
- Donald Trump has handed over and waved the white flag to a very weak Vladimir Putin.
- Like I say, like very easily could that be seen as someone who's waving the white flag.
- And I'm just want to use your show to wave the white flag and tell Clooney that I surrender because he's the master prankster.
Examples
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He's not ready to wave the white flag just yet.
Blog text (5) -
With New York down by 24 in the closing minutes, it was Coach B. who waved the white flag and took The Saint out of the game.
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It's time to wave the white flag, old friend.
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It's the other side that has to wave the white flag now, it's over.
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Never wave the white flag of surrender in front of your students.
Academic text (2007) -
Time to wave the white flag and head for the bunker, boys.
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Yet, I have no doubt that the skeptics and deniers will neither retreat nor wave the white flag.
Blog text (17) -
That's Belichick waving the white flag if I ever saw it.
Blog text (28) -
Most importantly, they are prepared to wave the white flag on Obamacare—the worst program ever created.
Blog text (22) -
Marquez easily beat the count and action even resumed, but it didn't take long for trainer Robert Garcia to wave the white flag and save his fighter from further punishment.
Blog text (31)
Synonyms
220
3.0
To stop resisting and agree to what others want
81
4.3
To stop resisting under pressure or force
49
4.9
To accept that you have lost a contest or election
27
4.8
To stop trying because you know you cannot succeed
23
8.4
To stop fighting back and accept defeat or demands
9
5.7
To accept being wrong to make peace or get help
2
8.9
To give up because of pressure or pain
1
8.8
To admit you give up when someone pressures you
1
7.4
Give something to another person because you are forced to do so
Antonyms
How Defeated
77
4.2
- Informal
4
4.0
220
3.0
31
5.8
311
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to admit defeat or surrender' is directly derivable from combining 'wave' (to signal with a hand) with 'white' + 'flag' (a white cloth used as a flag) because a white flag is a widely recognized symbol of surrender across many cultures. This clear, compositional relation — motion + culturally established symbol — makes the phrase immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Wave the white flag comes from the old practice of waving a white flag in battle to show you wanted to stop fighting and give up. So, wave the white flag now means 'to admit defeat'.