succumb

[ suh-kuhm ]
See synonyms for succumb on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to give way to superior force; yield: to succumb to despair.

  2. to yield to disease, wounds, old age, etc.; die.

Origin of succumb

1
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin succumbere, from suc- suc- + -cumbere (derivative of cubāre “to lie down, recline”); cf. incumbent

Other words for succumb

Other words from succumb

  • suc·cumb·er, noun
  • un·suc·cumb·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use succumb in a sentence

  • True love resists these shocks and comes out triumphant, but the other kind succumbs.

    Friend Mac Donald | Max O'Rell
  • But wan soon succumbs to th' customs iv a counthry an' Sir Alfred is no viggytaryan.

    Mr. Dooley Says | Finley Dunne
  • Or we will say a wife succumbs to the blandishments of another man.

  • The poor elephant only succumbs after receiving so great a number of projectiles that his body resembles an enormous porcupine.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • All that cannot be translated into propaganda or hold its own in a legislative lobby succumbs.

    The Behavior of Crowds | Everett Dean Martin

British Dictionary definitions for succumb

succumb

/ (səˈkʌm) /


verb(intr often foll by to)
  1. to give way in face of the overwhelming force (of) or desire (for)

  2. to be fatally overwhelmed (by disease, old age, etc); die (of)

Origin of succumb

1
C15: from Latin succumbere to be overcome, from sub- + -cumbere from cubāre to lie down

Derived forms of succumb

  • succumber, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012