succumb

verb

suc·cumb | \ sə-ˈkəm

succumbed; succumbing; succumbs

Definition of succumb

intransitive verb

1 : to yield to superior strength or force or overpowering appeal or desire succumb to temptation

2 : to be brought to an end (such as death) by the effect of destructive or disruptive forces

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Choose the Right Synonym for succumb

yield, submit, capitulate, succumb, relent, defer mean to give way to someone or something that one can no longer resist. yield may apply to any sort or degree of giving way before force, argument, persuasion, or entreaty. yields too easily in any argument submit suggests full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another. a repentant sinner vowing to submit to the will of God capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms (as with an adversary) or hopelessness in the face of an irresistible opposing force. officials capitulated to the protesters' demands succumb implies weakness and helplessness to the one that gives way or an overwhelming power to the opposing force. a stage actor succumbing to the lure of Hollywood relent implies a yielding through pity or mercy by one who holds the upper hand. finally relented and let the children stay up late defer implies a voluntary yielding or submitting out of respect or reverence for or deference and affection toward another. I defer to your expertise in these matters

Did You Know?

If the idea of someone succumbing brings to mind the image of a person lying down before more powerful forces, you have an excellent grasp of the Latin that gave us succumb. Succumb derives from the French word succomber, which is itself from the Latin word succumbere, meaning "to fall down" or "to yield." Succumbere was formed by combining sub-, meaning "under," with -cumbere, meaning "to lie down." The earliest application of succumb in the late 15th century was as a transitive verb meaning "to bring down" or "to overwhelm," but this sense is now obsolete. The current sense of "to yield" first appeared in print in the early 17th century; the more specific use-yielding to a disease or other destructive force-followed two centuries later.

Examples of succumb in a Sentence

Lepanto occupies a curious military fault line between ancient and modern. It was fought with galleys almost identical to those that had clashed in this same gulf sixteen centuries before, when the ships of Antony and Cleopatra succumbed to those of Octavian at the Battle of Actium. — Colin Thubron, New York Times Book Review, 9 Apr. 2009 Last spring, the Knight Ridder chain succumbed to pressure from its largest private investor and sold off its entire lineup of 32 papers to the McClatchy Co. for more than $4 billion. — Eric Klinenberg, Mother Jones, March/April 2007 Yet after Paul died in 1978 and his successor John Paul I succumbed to a heart attack only 34 days into his papacy, Wojyla was so oblivious to his impending fate that he spent the first day of the new papal conclave nonchalantly browsing through a quarterly review of Marxist theory. — David Van Biema, Time, 11 Apr. 2005 Interviews with cadets, police officers and investigators trying to crack down on crime inside Mexico City's 80,000-officer force revealed that even the most earnest cops often succumb to the temptations that are both plentiful and low risk. — Alan Zarembo, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2000 They will pressure you, and you must try not to succumb. he finally succumbed and let his wife get rid of his dilapidated easy chair

Recent Examples on the Web

Arnold said one neighbor clung to a tree during the storm and succumbed to flood waters that surged through the low-lying neighborhood. — sun-sentinel.com, "Emergency workers recover more bodies in Bahamas," 9 Sep. 2019 News outlets reported 19-year-old Adrieanna O’Shea succumbed to her injuries last Friday. — USA TODAY, "Rare elephant calf, two-headed rattlesnake, another quake off Oregon: News from around our 50 states," 6 Sep. 2019 Corral said Díaz succumbed to her injuries late Tuesday night surrounded by friends and family and co-workers. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Chula Vista mom among two fatally shot in Playas de Tijuana," 21 Aug. 2019 Jack Abdo, a prominent South Florida developer and a paternal cousin, said Kouri succumbed to a heart attack at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, where the family keeps an apartment. — Elinor J. Brecher, miamiherald, "Gregory Anthony Kouri, early PayPal investor, dies at 51," 13 Aug. 2012 But those varieties aren’t as productive and still eventually succumb to the fungus, which can survive in soil for decades. — Washington Post, "Banana industry on alert after disease arrives in Colombia," 27 Aug. 2019 But those varieties aren't as productive and still eventually succumb to the fungus, which can survive in soil for decades. — Candice Choi, chicagotribune.com, "Banana emergency: A fungus that may exterminate the fruit as we know it has spread to Latin America," 26 Aug. 2019 The Villans put in a brave performance at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on the Premier League's opening weekend, even taking the lead through John McGinn, but eventually succumbed to a late brace from England star Harry Kane. — SI.com, "Aston Villa Captain Jack Grealish Holds Unwanted Premier League Record Following Spurs Defeat," 11 Aug. 2019 To simplify, the participants were motivated to want to see more of one image or the other, but succumbing to that motivation wasn’t in their best interest. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "How desire can warp our view of the world," 8 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'succumb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for succumb

succumb

verb

English Language Learners Definition of succumb

somewhat formal

: to stop trying to resist something

: to die

See the full definition for succumb in the English Language Learners Dictionary

succumb

verb

suc·cumb | \ sə-ˈkəm

succumbed; succumbing

Kids Definition of succumb

1 : to yield to force or pressure Don't succumb to temptation.

2 : die entry 1 sense 1

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succumb

Definition of succumb

Synonyms & Antonyms for succumb

Choose the Right Synonym for succumb

Did You Know?

Examples of succumb in a Sentence

First Known Use of succumb

History and Etymology for succumb

English Language Learners Definition of succumb

Kids Definition of succumb

succumb

Definition of succumb

Synonyms & Antonyms for succumb

Choose the Right Synonym for succumb

Did You Know?

Examples of succumb in a Sentence

First Known Use of succumb

History and Etymology for succumb

English Language Learners Definition of succumb

Kids Definition of succumb

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