1
as in submitting
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surrendering
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dying
to stop living
the patient lay so still and pale that everyone thought he had succumbed, and then he opened his eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in falling
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of succumbing
The man was pronounced dead at the hospital after succumbing to his injuries, according to police.
—
Kelsey Brown, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Jan. 2026
After temporarily succumbing to one of his deeply seductive illusions, the Big Other urges him to stop dreaming.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
Your future self will thank you for pausing, budgeting, and deciding whether an item truly adds value or is simply succumbing to social pressure.
—Essence, 15 Dec. 2025
Rogers fought for his life for more than a week before succumbing to his injuries.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
In the eighteen months since nearly succumbing to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) is still in a coma.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
On the contrary, most who live into their 90s and beyond do so without succumbing to dementia.
—Bryant Stamford, Louisville Courier Journal, 13 Nov. 2025
There seemed to be an element of sadomasochistic play in their relationship, of withholding and succumbing, that contravenes the popular sense of an unremitting dominant-submissive dynamic.
—Daphne Merkin, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
To the public eye, this might look like scientists are succumbing to groupthink and an unreasonable resistance to any new ideas.
—Big Think, 30 Oct. 2025
Kelsey Brown, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Jan. 2026
After temporarily succumbing to one of his deeply seductive illusions, the Big Other urges him to stop dreaming.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
Your future self will thank you for pausing, budgeting, and deciding whether an item truly adds value or is simply succumbing to social pressure.
—Essence, 15 Dec. 2025
Rogers fought for his life for more than a week before succumbing to his injuries.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
In the eighteen months since nearly succumbing to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) is still in a coma.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
On the contrary, most who live into their 90s and beyond do so without succumbing to dementia.
—Bryant Stamford, Louisville Courier Journal, 13 Nov. 2025
There seemed to be an element of sadomasochistic play in their relationship, of withholding and succumbing, that contravenes the popular sense of an unremitting dominant-submissive dynamic.
—Daphne Merkin, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
To the public eye, this might look like scientists are succumbing to groupthink and an unreasonable resistance to any new ideas.
—Big Think, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for succumbing
Verb
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Then creators are meant to add three to six different toppings (all of which have to already be available on Burger King’s menu) before submitting their innovation.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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If a multihousing complex or office space wants to be built in Oak Lawn, developers try to garner support from the Oak Lawn Committee before submitting zoning or project plans to the city for approval.—
Timia Cobb
Breaking News Reporter,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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How to Watch Arizona Cardinals vs Dallas Cowboys The Cowboys struggled defensively in their 44-24 road loss to the Denver Broncos last week, surrendering four touchdown passes and 426 yards of offense.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Nov. 2025
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Andrew might not move to Sandringham until after the Christmas holidays, another source said, because giving notice, surrendering the lease and orchestrating the move is expected to take some time.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As oblivion approached, with all its attendant possibilities of panic or bitterness, Bowie summoned the generosity to evoke the ordeal of one prematurely dying man while also thinking and creating at the no less vast scale of life itself.—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Since the late 1980s, newspapers like the Press and the Post-Gazette have been dying a slow death with loss of circulation and advertising revenue that's all but disappeared since the birth of the internet.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Yet on the road Spurs are the best team in the land, earning 13 points from 15, scoring 12 goals and conceding only three.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Without conceding much, Washington could stop cross-strait antagonisms from descending further and create room for a better trajectory to emerge.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Commercial Sb₂O₃ and Nb₂O₅ were reacted at high temperature in ambient air, yielding uniform rod-like TNO crystals ranging from 500 nm to 2 µm without detectable secondary phases.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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Multiple wells, corresponding to different collection locations or different concentrations, are examined at the same time, quickly yielding an electronic scatter plot that estimates how much of each virus is present in the wastewater under examination.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Shop my favorite airport looks for winter travel below, with each outfit falling at or below $100.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Cannes-bowing film, starring Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and set against the backdrop of political arrest in 1993 Nigeria, leads the pack of titles going into this year’s BIFA ceremony with 12 nominations, including best British independent film and director.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
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In Indiana, Republican Governor Mike Braun called a special legislative session for next Monday to weigh redistricting proposals in his state, bowing to a White House pressure campaign.—
Steve Gorman,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The goo stops them from perishing, and the two embrace in a hug.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
26 Dec. 2025
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Many researchers also hypothesize that aviation trailblazer Earhart did not crash her plane at sea, but instead landed and was stranded on Nikumaroro Island, later perishing there.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Succumbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/succumbing. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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