succeed

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 Many of those suits have succeeded, Gerrard explains. — Time, "A Federal Court Threw Out A High Profile Climate Lawsuit. Here's What It Might Mean For The Future of Climate Litigation," 19 Jan. 2020 Will Stidham be the one who finally succeeds Brady? — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Is Jarrett Stidham the New England Patriots’ next quarterback?," 17 Jan. 2020 History is full of inspiring examples of black people succeeding against the odds, including building their own schools, hotels, railroads and banking systems when doors were closed to them. — Robert L. Woodson, WSJ, "The Left Forgets What Martin Luther King Stood For," 17 Jan. 2020 The rise follows the December announcement that Google CEO Sundar Pichai would also take over as head of Alphabet, succeeding Larry Page. — Julia Horowitz, CNN, "The club of $1 trillion companies just keeps growing. Now there are four," 17 Jan. 2020 Harry, 35, was announced as patron of the Rugby Football League in December 2016, succeeding his grandmother Queen Elizabeth who held the role for 64 years. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "Prince Harry Was Asked About His 'Future' at First Palace Appearance Since His Royal Exit," 16 Jan. 2020 Given the high rate of failure in the biotech industry, many if not most of these companies won’t succeed. — Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, "How swallowing a star might keep you from missing a dose of medicine," 16 Jan. 2020 Newman has yet to officially win the starting job at Georgia, but is its probable starter and gives Georgia a player to plug in and succeed immediately with rival Florida fast on the rise. — Alex Miller, Dallas News, "SEC’s 5 best QBs in 2020: Is Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond the league’s top signal-caller?," 15 Jan. 2020 Black, who succeeds Kurt Wilson, received a $270,000 contract, which includes a benefits package and allowances for transportation and technology. — Cassie Dickman, Cincinnati.com, "Former Cincinnati manager Harry Black lands California job," 15 Jan. 2020

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

21 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Succeed.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succeed. Accessed 28 January 2020.

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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

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