Definition of SUCCUMBS

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

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 us 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 two centuries later.

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

Even ten years ago, headlines trumpeted that boys were failing: falling behind girls in academic achievement, suffering from more mental illness, succumbing to drug abuse, and getting into more trouble. — Kate Stone Lombardi, Good Housekeeping, "Studies Show Boys Who Are Close to Their Mothers Do Better, Physically and Psychologically," 30 Apr. 2019 As flames rose from the timber roof of the historic Notre Dame de Paris, the world watched the 850-year-old landmark’s tallest spire and roof succumb to the heat. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "Rebuilding History: How 21st-Century Tech Can Save Medieval Notre Dame," 16 Apr. 2019 State TV hours later reported that all four gunmen had been killed, with three dying during the attack and one later succumbing to his wounds at a hospital. — Edmund Demarche, Fox News, "Iran warns US, Israel of 'devastating' response after deadly parade attack, report says," 24 Sep. 2018 Over the course of the miniseries, our rabbit heroes will constantly be on the brink of succumbing to captivity, enslavement, and death, all in their efforts to find and establish their home at the titular warren, Watership Down. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Netflix’s new Watership Down proves the beloved children’s classic was a horror story all along," 30 Dec. 2018 My goal was just to make it to bedtime without succumbing to my inner wine witch—even that was difficult. — Claire Gillespie, Glamour, "Self-Care Only Worked for Me When I Got Sober," 22 Dec. 2018 Mel and Sue will always be there for the baker who succumbs to pressure. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, "Enjoy the delight of 'The Great British Baking Show' while you still can," 22 June 2018 To continue reading this story, TRY IT NOW Possible repercussions meant nothing to Kingham, who in the fourth inning succumbed to his own impulses by needling the only thing standing between Texas and a berth in the 2018 College World Series. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Texas drops first game in Super Regional," 9 June 2018 Inside one mausoleum lies a respected doctor who succumbed to a heart attack while on the way to a patient. — Hanna Krueger, NOLA.com, "Over 10,000 days of life spent digging graves for New Orleans' dead," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'succumb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.