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
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.
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
During the month of May in the city of San Diego, only 128 out of 2,216 requests for shelter succeeded, largely because facilities are full.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
As of Saturday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 75% of this fire.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2025
Whether this approach will succeed depends on how effectively the state can balance stability, flexibility, and innovation in the years ahead.
—Luciano Duque, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025
Some efforts to amend the Michigan Fireworks Safety Act have succeeded, such as requiring retailers to provide notice of the days and times fireworks can be used, designating a fee collected from fireworks sales to fund firefighter training and adding new fines for violations.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for succeed
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Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
As of Saturday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 75% of this fire.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2025
Whether this approach will succeed depends on how effectively the state can balance stability, flexibility, and innovation in the years ahead.
—Luciano Duque, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025
Some efforts to amend the Michigan Fireworks Safety Act have succeeded, such as requiring retailers to provide notice of the days and times fireworks can be used, designating a fee collected from fireworks sales to fund firefighter training and adding new fines for violations.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for succeed
Cite this Entry
“Succeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succeed. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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