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succumbed

verb

past tense of succumb
1
as in submitted
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) he finally succumbed and let his wife get rid of his dilapidated easy chair

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2
as in surrendered
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit) refused to succumb to her fears and defiantly walked through the dark cemetery

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3
as in died
to stop living the patient lay so still and pale that everyone thought he had succumbed, and then he opened his eyes

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4
as in fell
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces the doctor worked tirelessly until finally he, too, succumbed to the fever

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of succumbed Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 Some trees succumbed to insects after being weakened by drought. — Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 The New Jersey native succumbed to organ failure that led to cardiac arrest, the New York Times reported Friday. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026 Farndon was fired from the band in June 1982 — and just two days later, Honeyman-Scott was dead, having succumbed to heart failure brought on by cocaine use at just 25 years old. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026 In the years since grit’s heyday, much of American culture has succumbed to a state of emotional and spiritual defeat. — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 The event took place just before the 1988 Olympic trials, and Gomez later succumbed to her injuries. — Pj Green september 11, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026 First responders performed life-saving efforts, but the man succumbed to his injuries, the release stated. — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 7 Sep. 2026 Growing up in Beverly, Frates – the warrior against ALS who succumbed to the insidious disease in 2019 – was a huge fan of the Bruins’ star and had a poster of the defenseman in his room. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for succumbed
  1. submitted
  2. surrendered
  3. died
  4. fell
  5. conceded
  6. yielded
  7. perished
  8. capitulated
Verb
  • The case was submitted to the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office for charging decisions, and a warrant was issued for Hirsbrunner’s arrest.
    — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Police responded, identified the suspect as Kenneth Kenji Shrine and submitted a case for misdemeanor trespassing to the Alameda County district attorney’s office for filing consideration.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of submitted
Verb
  • Wall Street climbed to the edge of its all-time high on Monday, and stocks rallied worldwide after oil prices and yields in the bond market surrendered their market-rattling gains from last week.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • In any event, Congress surrendered its jurisdiction over such matters to corporations decades ago.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of surrendered
Verb
  • Cora, 5, and Dawson, 3, died at the scene, but their youngest, 8-month-old Callan, was still alive when first responders arrived.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Chad Gilbert, lead guitarist for New Found Glory, died Sunday at the age of 45.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of died
Verb
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • It was conceded that the catalogue of brews outmatched the finite power of the liver.
    — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
  • But Turrill-Lupi also conceded that there was a pragmatic reason for including Puente’s former boarding house on the tour.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of conceded
Verb
  • The process yielded one-of-a-kind designs, often incorporating unusual gem cuts, such as raw sapphires, in pieces that take on particular significance for the wearer.
    — Virginia Corneli, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Users were already required to state a reason, but the company acknowledged that the old free-text system yielded explanations that were not always specific.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of yielded
Verb
  • Pries’s suggestion, known as the inverse Galois problem, was inspired by the work of the 19th-century French mathematician Évariste Galois, who perished after he was wounded in a gun duel at age 20.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
  • As a result, more people have now died of environmental illnesses that followed the September 11 attacks than perished during the collapse of the towers that day.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of perished
Verb
  • Are the law firms and universities that capitulated listening?
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • West Ham could have capitulated after Leo Scienza’s opener for Southampton in the 10th minute, but the youngsters showed they were not overawed.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of capitulated

Browse Nearby Words

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succumbed
succumbed (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Succumbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/succumbed. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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