succumb
Americanverb
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
succumbsimple
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succumbssimple
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have succumbedperfect
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has succumbedperfect
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am succumbingprogressive
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are succumbingprogressive
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is succumbingprogressive
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have been succumbingperfect progressive
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has been succumbingperfect progressive
Past
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succumbedsimple
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had succumbedperfect
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was succumbingprogressive
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were succumbingprogressive
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had been succumbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of succumb
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin succumbere, from suc- suc- + -cumbere (derivative of cubāre “to lie down, recline”); cf. incumbent
Explanation
Use the verb succumb to say that someone yields to something they've tried to fight off, such as despair, temptation, disease or injury. If you succumb to cancer, it means you die of it. From this sentence you can see that this verb is usually followed by the preposition to. The Latin root is succumbere, from the prefix sub- "under" plus -cumbere "to lie down."
Vocabulary lists containing succumb
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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List 3
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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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.
See Examples For:
Because sitting captains of industry don’t always know where to find signs of change, they often succumb to a kind of observational bias.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
If their CTmax is exceeded, insects succumb to desiccation, muscle spasms and eventual stupor.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
It nevertheless seems a good bet that, sooner or later and quite likely sooner, the market will succumb to the gravitational pull of insider bearishness.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Mayor Zohran Mamdani made headlines when he watched England succumb to Argentina with inmates at the city's notorious Rikers Island jail.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
“He has seen all this, and thank God, he is not going to succumb to it.”
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
The market might not be imploding so much as readjusting as the tech industry succumbs to more realistic expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Lacking immediate options, Bea succumbs to Christy’s latest tomfoolery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
In the more pessimistic schema, Tesla succumbs to competition and margin pressure, the market disregards Optimus in valuations and Robotaxi has slower growth expected.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 8, 2025
Fearing he’s a has-been, the diminutive, balding Hart slowly succumbs to self-loathing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
On 29 January 2016, the last hive of honeybees, located on an almond farm in California, succumbs to CCD.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Yes, bears: crypto slang for people who think the price of Bitcoin is going to fall or who have in some other way succumbed to crypto pessimism.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Even the pages that survived the flames have succumbed to water damage, from firefighting or exposure to the elements from the collapsed roof.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
“Yale will be regarded either as a beacon and a fighter for academic freedom or as the weakling who succumbed and obeyed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
While firefighters were able to reach Paul and Sheila inside the Mohican Road home, the couple succumbed to smoke inhalation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
She was still with her employers, who had long ago succumbed to that dreaded condition known as travel fatigue.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
You need to balance your enjoyment of the present with building a future in California, without succumbing to 24/7 pressure.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
He acknowledged succumbing to the “deal heat” Cohan mentioned, but never regretted it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
McCain said these varieties, plus the work of farmers like Bubb, turned potatoes once wilting under drought and succumbing to disease during floods into much more resilient potatoes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
It seems the cohort of crypto-exposed names was joining the broad-based tech rally ahead of the open rather than succumbing to the pressure on Bitcoin.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
And fully remembered the decisions he’d made before succumbing to sleep.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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