succeed

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verb suc·ceed \ sək-ˈsēd \

Definition of succeed

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1 :to follow in sequence and especially immediately

2 :to come after as heir or successor

—

succeeder

noun

See succeed defined for English-language learners

See succeed defined for kids

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 of succeed from the Web

Why not give the ads the best chance of succeeding?

— chrissie thompson, Cincinnati.com, "The constant re-imagining of Josh Mandel," 27 Aug. 2017
To succeed, Waaijers says, German negotiators must be willing to walk away without an agreement.

— gretchen vogel, Science | AAAS, "A bold open-access push in Germany could change the future of academic publishing," 23 Aug. 2017
In Oxnard, Calif., in 2015, a person claiming to be a hospice employee entered the homes of five patients and tried to steal their morphine, succeeding twice.

— melissa bailey, Kaiser Health News, "Dying At Home In An Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds," 22 Aug. 2017
Last week, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that John Bailey would serve as its next president, succeeding Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Hollywood scratched its head.

— brooks barnes, New York Times, "Diversity Initiatives Are ‘Way Overdue,’ Academy President Says," 15 Aug. 2017
Mastro — who this year succeeded longtime CEO Pam Davis — said the system plans to re-examine third-party services and has given all of its vice presidents system-wide responsibilities in the hope of better identifying potential efficiencies.

— bill bird, Naperville Sun, "Edward Hospital health group to cut $50M from budget," 15 Aug. 2017
Then there’s the other, much more salacious sort of overthrow in which the board actually succeeds in kicking out the C.E.O. and installing a new boss.

— nick bilton, vanityfair.com, "Inside Travis Kalanick’s Fight to Retake Uber," 1 Aug. 2017
Perhaps Scaramucci’s act will succeed, winning the president’s approval and changing the tide of press coverage in a more positive direction.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Fratricidal Fight Inside the White House," 27 July 2017
A blend of smart, tough and lucky, Rivers has made every start since succeeding Drew Brees in 2006.

— tom krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why did the Chargers* trade for QB Jones?," 27 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of succeed

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-

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First Known Use: 14th century

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succeed Synonyms

Synonyms

click, come off, deliver, go, go over, pan out, work out, bear fruit, catch fire, deliver the goods, do the trick, go like clockwork, come into one's own, cut it, cut the mustard, get ahead, get somewhere, get there, hack it, hit it big, make good, make it, make one's mark, make the grade

Antonyms

bomb, collapse, fail, flop, flunk, fold, founder, miss, strike out, wash out

Related Words

catch on; flourish, prosper, thrive; cook, percolate

Near Antonyms

languish; flounder, struggle; decline, sink, skid, slip, slump, wane; crash, crater, crumble, flame out; choke, crack up, miscarry, misfire; fall down, go under; implode, self-destruct

Synonym Discussion of 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

SUCCEED Defined for English Language Learners

succeed

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verb

Definition of succeed for English Language Learners

: 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

SUCCEED Defined for Kids

succeed

play

verb suc·ceed \ sək-ˈsēd \

Definition of succeed for Students

succeeded; succeeding

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

Law Dictionary

succeed

play

intransitive verb suc·ceed \ sək-ˈsēd \

legal Definition of succeed

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

transitive verb

1 :to follow in sequence and especially immediately

2 :to come after as heir or successor

Learn More about succeed

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for succeed Spanish Central: Translation of succeed Nglish: Translation of succeed for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of succeed for Arabic speakers

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Examples of succeed in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of succeed

succeed Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of succeed

Phrases Related to SUCCEED

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SUCCEED Defined for English Language Learners

succeed

Definition of succeed for English Language Learners

SUCCEED Defined for Kids

succeed

Definition of succeed for Students

Law Dictionary

succeed

legal Definition of succeed

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