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 Between a new offensive coordinator and a head coach on the hot seat, there will be a lot of pressure on the winner to come in and succeed right away. — Dallas News, "Texas Tech QB outlook for 2021: Who will win the offseason position battle?," 10 Feb. 2021 Should the organizing drive succeed, the Bessemer employees will be the first Amazon workers to unionize in the U.S. — Alex Press, The New Republic, "The Alabama Town That Could Defeat Jeff Bezos," 8 Feb. 2021 At first, their reunion was treated like an amusing sideshow, especially because the likeliness that Brady would succeed after relocating was treated with skepticism as well. — Bill Pennington, New York Times, "A Key to Brady’s Super Bowl Success? Gronkowski, of Course," 7 Feb. 2021 The day after the announcement that Jassy would succeed Bezos, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, an influential worker group, indicated a new CEO would not stop its advocacy that the company commit to more stringent environmental goals. — al, "Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy in ‘hot seat’ as Alabama workers consider union," 7 Feb. 2021 But cisgender girls should have the right to compete and succeed, too. — Michael Ruiz, Fox News, "Biden's political correctness could threaten women’s sports: NY Post columnist," 31 Jan. 2021 An advisory group is recommending new taxes on marijuana sales to raise millions of dollars that would be used to improve diversity and help disadvantaged groups succeed in the industry. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, "Report calls for new marijuana taxes to help promote minority ownership," 19 Jan. 2021 Winston, who might succeed Brees in 2021, threw a 56-yard TD on his only pass. — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "32 things we learned from divisional playoffs of the 2020 NFL season," 18 Jan. 2021 Pouchain remains stubbornly hopeful that her attorney's bid to overturn the judgement will succeed. — Elaine Ganley, Star Tribune, "Woman ruled dead in 2017 fights to be declared alive," 18 Jan. 2021

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

20 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Succeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succeed. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

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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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