succeeded; succeeding; succeeds
1
a
: to come next after another in office or position or in possession of an estate
especially
: to inherit sovereignty, rank, or title
b
: to follow after another in order
2
a
: to turn out well
b
: to attain a desired object or end
students who succeed in college
3
obsolete
: to pass to a person by inheritance
1
: to follow in sequence and especially immediately
2
: to come after as heir or successor
succeeder
noun
Synonyms
Examples of succeed in a Sentence
Ghosh's remarkable detective work succeeds in rescuing an entire group of marginalized figures from British and South Asian amnesia, if not outright denial.
—
Maya Jasanoff, New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2008
Enter Gordon Brown. Journalistic legend has it that, over dinner in a trendy London restaurant as long ago as 1994, the two of them settled that Blair would lead the Labour party for an unspecified length of time and Brown would then succeed him.
—David Pryce-Jones, National Review, 28 May 2007
Maguire, a freelance writer who specializes in culture and technology and recently published a book about spelling bees, paints a vivid portrait of Sullivan as a tough-minded micromanager who tightly controlled every aspect of his show, even telling Ella Fitzgerald what to sing. Behind the avuncular, slightly befuddled façade viewers knew, he writes, was a man consumed by ambition and driven to succeed at any cost.
—Peter Keepnews, New York Times Book Review, 11 June 2006
You can succeed where others failed.
The plan just might succeed.
Their attempt seemed unlikely to succeed.
Both of them have ambitions to succeed the prime minister.
She will succeed him as chair of the committee.
The Queen died and was succeeded by James I.
James I succeeded to the throne upon the Queen's death in 1603.
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Maya Jasanoff, New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2008
Enter Gordon Brown. Journalistic legend has it that, over dinner in a trendy London restaurant as long ago as 1994, the two of them settled that Blair would lead the Labour party for an unspecified length of time and Brown would then succeed him.
—David Pryce-Jones, National Review, 28 May 2007
Maguire, a freelance writer who specializes in culture and technology and recently published a book about spelling bees, paints a vivid portrait of Sullivan as a tough-minded micromanager who tightly controlled every aspect of his show, even telling Ella Fitzgerald what to sing. Behind the avuncular, slightly befuddled façade viewers knew, he writes, was a man consumed by ambition and driven to succeed at any cost.
—Peter Keepnews, New York Times Book Review, 11 June 2006
You can succeed where others failed.
The plan just might succeed.
Their attempt seemed unlikely to succeed.
Both of them have ambitions to succeed the prime minister.
She will succeed him as chair of the committee.
The Queen died and was succeeded by James I.
James I succeeded to the throne upon the Queen's death in 1603.
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Recent Examples on the Web
So my advice is this: Don't just choose skincare because others have succeeded.
—Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2023
Right-wing Republicans who represent a minority in their party and in Congress have succeeded in sowing mass dysfunction, spoiling for a shutdown, an impeachment and a House coup.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2023
Rupert Murdoch has long made clear that one of his two sons would ultimately succeed him.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
To fully win their confidence, Rowan must succeed in his charm campaign by softening Apollo’s prickly reputation, sharpened by roughhewn jockeying in private equity, into that of a genial partner.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023
Yet, while the Polish citizens are largely in favor of supporting Ukraine out of fears their country would be vulnerable if Russia succeeded in Ukraine, there are growing concerns about the large numbers of refugees.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 21 Sep. 2023
Artificial intelligence had succeeded in moving me with a sentence about the most important experience of my life.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Sep. 2023
In 2021, Africa witnessed six coup attempts, the most since 1991; four succeeded, the most since 1999.
—Foreign Affairs, 20 Sep. 2023
Teams will then select in the reverse order in each succeeding round of the 15-round draft.
—John Wawrow, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023
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Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2023
Right-wing Republicans who represent a minority in their party and in Congress have succeeded in sowing mass dysfunction, spoiling for a shutdown, an impeachment and a House coup.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2023
Rupert Murdoch has long made clear that one of his two sons would ultimately succeed him.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
To fully win their confidence, Rowan must succeed in his charm campaign by softening Apollo’s prickly reputation, sharpened by roughhewn jockeying in private equity, into that of a genial partner.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023
Yet, while the Polish citizens are largely in favor of supporting Ukraine out of fears their country would be vulnerable if Russia succeeded in Ukraine, there are growing concerns about the large numbers of refugees.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 21 Sep. 2023
Artificial intelligence had succeeded in moving me with a sentence about the most important experience of my life.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Sep. 2023
In 2021, Africa witnessed six coup attempts, the most since 1991; four succeeded, the most since 1999.
—Foreign Affairs, 20 Sep. 2023
Teams will then select in the reverse order in each succeeding round of the 15-round draft.
—John Wawrow, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'succeed.' 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
Middle English succeden, from Anglo-French succeeder, from Latin succedere to go up, follow after, succeed, from sub- near + cedere to go — more at sub-
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of succeed was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing succeed
Articles Related to succeed
Dictionary Entries Near succeed
Cite this Entry
“Succeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succeed. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
succeed
verb
suc·ceed
sək-ˈsēd 
1
a
: to come next after another in office or position or in possession of an estate
especially
: to inherit sovereignty
b
: to follow after another in order
2
a
: to turn out well
b
: to reach a desired end or object : be successful
succeeder
noun
Legal Definition
succeed
intransitive verb
suc·ceed
sək-ˈsēd
1
: to come next after another in office or position
2
a
: to take something by succession
succeeded to his mother's estate
b
: to acquire the rights, obligations, and charges of a decedent in property comprising an estate
the heir, who accepts, is considered as having succeeded to the deceased from the moment of his death—Louisiana Civil Code
Louisiana Civil Code1
: to follow in sequence and especially immediately
2
: to come after as heir or successor
More from Merriam-Webster on succeed
Nglish: Translation of succeed for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of succeed for Arabic Speakers
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