capituler

To capitulate or surrender, used both literally for a military or political defeat and figuratively for giving up in the face of pressure or difficulty (capituler devant la fatigue). A strong word implying formally admitting defeat rather than simply stopping.

• La garnison a capitulé après trois jours de siège. — The garrison capitulated after three days under siege.
• Je refuse de capituler devant ces menaces. — I refuse to capitulate to these threats.
• Le gouvernement a fini par capituler face à la grève générale. — The government eventually capitulated in the face of the general strike.

Capituler is stronger than abandonner or renoncer — it specifically implies formally yielding after resistance, so it can sound melodramatic if used for a minor, everyday concession.

• quote Rhinocéros — Eugène Ionesco's 1959 play ends with Bérenger's defiant final line, "Je ne capitule pas!" ("I am not capitulating!") — his refusal to turn into a rhinoceros like everyone else, the play's central symbol of resisting conformism and totalitarianism.