succumb

verb

suc·​cumb sə-ˈkəm 

succumbed; succumbing; succumbs

intransitive verb

1

: to yield to superior strength or force or overpowering appeal or desire

succumb to temptation

2

: to be brought to an end (such as death) by the effect of destructive or disruptive forces

Did you know?

If the idea of someone succumbing brings to mind the image of a person lying down before more powerful forces, you have an excellent grasp of the Latin that gave English succumb. Succumb derives from the French word succomber, which is itself from the Latin word succumbere, meaning "to fall down" or "to yield." Succumbere was formed by combining sub-, meaning "under," with -cumbere, meaning "to lie down." The earliest application of succumb in the late 15th century was as a transitive verb meaning "to bring down" or "to overwhelm," but this sense is now obsolete. The current sense of "to yield" first appeared in print in the early 17th century; the more specific use—yielding to a disease or other destructive force—followed decades later.

Synonyms

• submit
• concede
• surrender
• budge
• bow

Choose the Right Synonym for succumb

yield, submit, capitulate, succumb, relent, defer mean to give way to someone or something that one can no longer resist.

yield may apply to any sort or degree of giving way before force, argument, persuasion, or entreaty.

yields too easily in any argument

submit suggests full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another.

a repentant sinner vowing to submit to the will of God

capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms (as with an adversary) or hopelessness in the face of an irresistible opposing force.

officials capitulated to the protesters' demands

succumb implies weakness and helplessness to the one that gives way or an overwhelming power to the opposing force.

a stage actor succumbing to the lure of Hollywood

relent implies a yielding through pity or mercy by one who holds the upper hand.

finally relented and let the children stay up late

defer implies a voluntary yielding or submitting out of respect or reverence for or deference and affection toward another.

I defer to your expertise in these matters

Examples of succumb in a Sentence

Lepanto occupies a curious military fault line between ancient and modern. It was fought with galleys almost identical to those that had clashed in this same gulf sixteen centuries before, when the ships of Antony and Cleopatra succumbed to those of Octavian at the Battle of Actium. —Colin Thubron, New York Times Book Review, 9 Apr. 2009

Last spring, the Knight Ridder chain succumbed to pressure from its largest private investor and sold off its entire lineup of 32 papers to the McClatchy Co. for more than $4 billion. —Eric Klinenberg, Mother Jones, March/April 2007

Yet after Paul died in 1978 and his successor John Paul I succumbed to a heart attack only 34 days into his papacy, Wojyla was so oblivious to his impending fate that he spent the first day of the new papal conclave nonchalantly browsing through a quarterly review of Marxist theory. —David Van Biema, Time, 11 Apr. 2005

Interviews with cadets, police officers and investigators trying to crack down on crime inside Mexico City's 80,000-officer force revealed that even the most earnest cops often succumb to the temptations that are both plentiful and low risk. —Alan Zarembo, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2000

They will pressure you, and you must try not to succumb.

he finally succumbed and let his wife get rid of his dilapidated easy chair

Recent Examples on the Web

Most of the resulting plants succumbed to rust; the few that made it were crossed with one another to produce the next generation. —Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

Don’t succumb to the urge to overfertilize, which leads to other problems. 4. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2025

Photographer Liz’s mission to fulfill a bucket list of assignments before succumbing to her rare and aggressive abdominal cancer gained profound resonance after being embraced by the royal couple. —Simon Perry, People.com, 19 June 2025

Castro-Lopez succumbed to her injuries on June 14, according to the press release. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

French & Latin; French succomber, from Latin succumbere, from sub- + -cumbere to lie down; akin to Latin cubare to lie

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for succumb

• become
• checksum
• humdrum
• income
• outcome
• therefrom
• wherefrom
• abomasum
• bum
• chum
• come
• crum

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Kids Definition

succumb

verb

suc·​cumb sə-ˈkəm 

1

: to yield to force or pressure

succumb to temptation

2

: die entry 1 sense 1

many of the early settlers succumbed during the winter