succeed

verb

suc·ceed | \ sək-ˈsēd

succeeded; succeeding; succeeds

Definition of succeed

1a : 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

2a : 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

transitive verb

1 : to follow in sequence and especially immediately

2 : to come after as heir or successor

Other Words from succeed Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about succeed

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Choose the Right Synonym for succeed

follow, succeed, ensue, supervene mean to come after something or someone. follow may apply to a coming after in time, position, or logical sequence. speeches followed the dinner succeed implies a coming after immediately in a sequence determined by natural order, inheritance, election, or laws of rank. she succeeded her father as head of the business ensue commonly suggests a logical consequence or naturally expected development. after the talk a general discussion ensued supervene suggests the following or beginning of something unforeseen or unpredictable. unable to continue because of supervening circumstances

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

In Ambler, a school custodian and teacher team up to create a space for kids in need of extra help to finish their homework and succeed in school. — Oona Goodin-smith, https://www.inquirer.com, "Thanks to a school custodian, Ambler students are getting the homework help they need," 6 June 2019 But succeeding Waukegan officials kept rolling the dice, keeping the dream alive, betting the big one would finally come their way. — Charles Selle, Lake County News-Sun, "Selle: Waukegan's bid to land a casino goes back to 1990 on the Waukegan River," 5 June 2019 The senators also held out hope that Trump's gambit would succeed in spurring Mexico into action, making the tariffs unnecessary. — Tom Benning, Dallas News, "Top Texas Republicans push back on Trump's Mexico tariffs, but how far will they go?," 5 June 2019 Whoever succeeds May will have to respond to new challenges in the relationship with the U.S. in the aftermath of Brexit. — Madeleine Kearns, National Review, "Trump, Britain, and the Special Relationship," 5 June 2019 She was crowned Miss Alabama on Saturday, June 9, succeeding Jessica Proctor, Miss Alabama 2017. — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al.com, "Miss Alabama 2019: Swimsuits are out, interviews are in for 47 women in state competition," 4 June 2019 The winner succeeds Brockhouse, who launched his challenge against Nirenberg after representing District 6 for one term. — Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, "Candidates in San Antonio City Council District 6 runoff say voters more energized, polarized," 4 June 2019 Cuonzo Martin left for California after taking Tennessee to the Sweet 16 in 2014 and was succeeded by Donnie Tyndall, who lasted just a year before getting fired as the NCAA investigated his old school. — Steve Megargee, The Seattle Times, "Barnes, Tennessee look for another signature win vs Purdue," 25 Mar. 2019 And if Waymo ultimately succeeds in offering fully driverless rides, that could allow for dramatic price cuts. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "We finally talked to an actual Waymo passenger—here’s what he told us," 13 Dec. 2018

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

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Last Updated

10 Jun 2019

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The first known use of succeed was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for succeed

succeed

verb

English Language Learners Definition of succeed

: to do what you are trying to do : to achieve the correct or desired result

: to happen in the planned or desired way

: to come after (something) in a series

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

succeed

verb

suc·ceed | \ sək-ˈsēd

succeeded; succeeding

Kids Definition of succeed

1 : to achieve a desired result : be successful Half of them wanted me to mess up, and half of them wanted me to succeed.— Jack Gantos, Joey Pigza Loses Control

2 : to turn out well The plan succeeded.

3 : to come after : follow This new model of car succeeds the old one.

4 : to come next after another person in office or position

succeed

intransitive verb

suc·ceed | \ sək-ˈsēd

Legal Definition of succeed

1 : to come next after another in office or position

2a : 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

transitive verb

1 : to follow in sequence and especially immediately

2 : to come after as heir or successor