submitted: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Academic, Legal, Technical, Bureaucratic
Quick answer
What does “submitted” mean?
Past tense and past participle of 'submit'. It fundamentally means to present or hand over something for consideration, judgment, or processing, often implying yielding to authority or necessity.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Past tense and past participle of 'submit'. It fundamentally means to present or hand over something for consideration, judgment, or processing, often implying yielding to authority or necessity.
Beyond the literal act of handing in, 'submitted' connotes acceptance of conditions, compliance with requirements, or deferral to another's will, authority, or system. In computing, it describes sending data to a server.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is identical. Minor differences may appear in collocating prepositions in very specific formal contexts (e.g., 'submitted to the court' vs. 'submitted with the court'), but these are not systemic.
Connotations
Slightly more common in UK English in formal bureaucratic contexts (e.g., 'plans were submitted to the council'). In US English, 'filed' or 'turned in' may be more frequent in everyday administrative speech.
Frequency
High frequency in both varieties within formal registers. The base verb 'submit' is slightly more frequent in American English corpus data.
Grammar
How to Use “submitted” in a Sentence
[Someone] submitted [something] to [someone/something].[Something] was submitted by [someone].[Someone] submitted that [clause] (legal).Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “submitted” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- She submitted her PhD thesis to the university library.
- The defendant submitted to the jurisdiction of the court.
American English
- He submitted the insurance claim online.
- They submitted to a search by the security officers.
adverb
British English
- The document was submitted electronically.
- The plan was submitted voluntarily.
American English
- The form must be submitted online.
- He submitted the report separately.
adjective
British English
- The submitted manuscript is now under peer review.
- All submitted artwork will be judged by a panel.
American English
- Check the status of your submitted application.
- The submitted code passed the initial tests.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
The tender was submitted before the deadline.
Academic
The dissertation must be submitted to the examination board by May.
Everyday
I've just submitted my online tax return.
Technical
The job was submitted to the computing cluster for processing.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “submitted”
- Incorrect preposition: 'submitted for the committee' (should be 'to'). Spelling: double 't' often missed ('submited'). Using active voice when passive is standard: 'I submitted the report yesterday' (correct) vs. 'The report was submitted by me yesterday' (awkwardly over-passive).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While most common for documents (applications, reports), it can be used for oneself ('submitted to arrest'), data, proposals, and in legal language for arguments ('submitted that...').
'Submitted' is more formal and often implies a process or system (like online portals, official bodies). 'Handed in' is more physical and informal (e.g., homework to a teacher).
Typically neutral/formal. It can be positive when indicating successful completion ('happily submitted'). It can be negative when implying defeat or reluctant compliance ('grudgingly submitted').
The passive ('was submitted') is extremely common, especially when the focus is on the document/action, not the person. Use it in formal writing: 'The application was submitted on time.' The active voice ('I submitted...') is also correct and often clearer.
Past tense and past participle of 'submit'. It fundamentally means to present or hand over something for consideration, judgment, or processing, often implying yielding to authority or necessity.
Submitted is usually formal, academic, legal, technical, bureaucratic in register.
Submitted: in British English it is pronounced /səbˈmɪtɪd/, and in American English it is pronounced /səbˈmɪt̬ɪd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Submitted to one's fate”
- “The proposal was dead on submission (implies failure after being submitted).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a SUBmarine that has MITTED (like 'emitted') a document to the surface – it has sent it up for review.
Conceptual Metaphor
ARGUMENT IS WAR (submitting is surrendering), SYSTEMS ARE CONTAINERS (submitting is putting something into a system).
Practice
Quiz
In a legal context, 'The counsel submitted that...' means: