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 Given the anti-regulatory tilt of the federal courts, the legal challenge is likely to succeed. — Washington Post, "The one surprising thing the Trump administration got right on health care," 5 Dec. 2019 The coach wants his young protege to understand that physical skills aren’t always sufficient to succeed in the NBA. — Jeff Mcdonald, ExpressNews.com, "Lonnie Walker’s breakout a hat tip to patience," 4 Dec. 2019 Through its various initiatives, the non-profit provides for those in need and is dedicated to giving selfless individuals the tools to succeed. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "Natalie Portman Gets Passionate About Her Important Charity Work on GivingTuesday," 3 Dec. 2019 Russia, like every country, has leaders who want to succeed. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "‘I’m known as an activist.’ New UNAIDS leader takes charge," 27 Nov. 2019 While client companies will make the final decision on who to hire, MainStreet will help with initial screenings to assess whether candidates are likely to succeed as remote workers. — Michelle Cheng, Quartz at Work, "A Silicon Valley recruiting startup is offering tech workers $10,000 to leave the Bay Area," 25 Nov. 2019 The program, launched in 2014, offers summer math camps and after-school tutoring to help youngsters who show promise but might need a boost to succeed in the most challenging math classes. — Leslie Postal, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orange schools fall short of goal for more minority students to take calculus," 23 Nov. 2019 The coup may be delayed for now, but AKK still hasn’t secured the party’s backing as its candidate to succeed Merkel as chancellor. — Arne Delfs, Bloomberg.com, "Angela Merkel’s Wounded Party Doesn’t Know Where to Lead Germany," 20 Nov. 2019 That appeal may be all these vehicles really need to succeed. — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "This Swedish Electric Moped Is Also a Mobile Generator," 5 Nov. 2019

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

9 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Succeed.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succeeding. Accessed 13 December 2019.

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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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