submit

Submit is a verb with several related meanings centered on presenting something for consideration, approval, or compliance, and on yielding to authority or rules. Common uses include handing in work or documents for evaluation, presenting a proposal for review, or yielding to a request or demand. The noun form, submission, can describe the act itself or a document or proposal that has been presented.

Etymology traces submit to the Latin submittere, from sub- “under” and mittere “to send,” conveying the sense of sending something under someone’s authority or decision.

In academic, professional, and administrative contexts, to submit often means to present an assignment, manuscript, application, or form for assessment or approval. Submission deadlines regulate when materials must be delivered, and submitted work may enter a review or decision process. In computing and online services, to submit typically refers to sending data to a server, commonly via a submit button on a web form.

In legal and governmental contexts, submission involves presenting evidence, briefs, motions, or petitions to a court or agency, thereby requesting action or jurisdiction. In a more personal or dramatic sense, to submit can also mean to yield or surrender to an opponent or authority, as in some competitive or confrontational situations.

Related terms include submittal (often used in engineering to denote the formal presentation of documents for approval) and submission (the act of submitting). The nuance of submit can range from neutral procedural usage to implying deference or concession, depending on context.