succumb

verb

suc·​cumb sə-ˈkəm How to pronounce succumb (audio)
succumbed; succumbing; succumbs

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

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 English 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 decades later.

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

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 Do not succumb to low self-esteem or desperate behavior because of your fluttering heart. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 His Black and Indigenous mother succumbed from tuberculosis just a few years later. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The victim, an 86-year-old woman walking to her car from a hair salon, later succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital, according to Fraser police. Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024 Military analysts estimated that, without more American arms and ammunition, Ukraine would start to succumb to Russia’s attacks by the summer. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The Boston Red Sox announced earlier this week that Stacy, the widow of late MLB pitcher Tim Wakefield, died from cancer this week five months after her husband succumbed to the same disease. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The Heat overcame a brutal start and staged a furious late rally but ultimately succumbed, ending their winning streak at five. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Playing the second game of a back-to-back (Nashville beat San Jose 4-2 on Saturday), neither group appeared to suffer on the ice until the Ducks succumbed to the Predators’ physicality in the third period. Josh Gross, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Del Toro succumbed to his injuries after he was hospitalized for a week, Marin County coroner’s staff reported. Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'succumb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French & Latin; French succomber, from Latin succumbere, from sub- + -cumbere to lie down; akin to Latin cubare to lie

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of succumb was in 1604

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Cite this Entry

“Succumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succumb. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

succumb

verb
suc·​cumb sə-ˈkəm How to pronounce succumb (audio)
1
: to yield to force or pressure
succumb to temptation
2
: die entry 1 sense 1
many of the early settlers succumbed during the winter

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