verb
-
to give way in face of the overwhelming force (of) or desire (for)
-
to be fatally overwhelmed (by disease, old age, etc); die (of)
Other Word Forms
- succumber noun
- unsuccumbing adjective
Etymology
Origin of succumb
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin succumbere, from suc- suc- + -cumbere (derivative of cubāre “to lie down, recline”); incumbent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said, however, "it is a reminder that every year New Yorkers succumb to the cold".
From BBC
By 1529, she had died, possibly succumbing to smallpox, a European scourge.
From Los Angeles Times
The question is whether the party now meekly succumbs to the browbeating:
The sentiments were more hopeful than one might expect, given how it’s so easy to succumb to despair right now.
From Los Angeles Times
Weir was diagnosed with cancer in July and had beaten the disease, but "succumbed to underlying lung issues," his family said in a statement on his personal website, without specifying where or when he died.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
