succeed
Americanverb (used without object)
-
succeeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
succeeded,
past participle, past
-
succeeding
present participle
-
to happen or terminate according to desire; turn out successfully; have the desired result.
Our efforts succeeded.
- Antonyms:
- fail
-
to thrive, prosper, grow, or the like.
Grass will not succeed in this dry soil.
- Antonyms:
- fail
-
to accomplish what is attempted or intended.
We succeeded in our efforts to start the car.
- Antonyms:
- fail
-
to attain success in some popularly recognized form, as wealth or standing.
The class voted him the one most likely to succeed.
- Antonyms:
- fail
-
to follow or replace another by descent, election, appointment, etc. (often followed byto ).
-
to come next after something else in an order or series.
verb (used with object)
-
succeeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
succeeded,
past participle, past
-
succeeding
present participle
-
to come after and take the place of, as in an office or estate.
-
to come next after in an order or series, or in the course of events; follow.
- Antonyms:
- precede
verb
-
(intr) to accomplish an aim, esp in the manner desired
he succeeded in winning
-
(intr) to happen in the manner desired
the plan succeeded
-
(intr) to acquit oneself satisfactorily or do well, as in a specified field
to succeed in publishing
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to come next in order (after someone or something)
-
to take over an office, post, etc (from a person)
he succeeded to the vice presidency
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to come into possession (of property, etc); inherit
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(intr) to have a result according to a specified manner
the plan succeeded badly
-
(intr) to devolve upon
the estate succeeded to his son
Synonym Usage
Succeed, flourish, prosper, thrive mean to do well. To succeed is to turn out well, to attain a goal: It is everyone's wish to succeed in life. To flourish is to give evidence of success or a ripe development of power, reputation, etc.: Culture flourishes among free people. To prosper is to achieve and enjoy material success: He prospered but was still discontented. Thrive suggests vigorous growth and development such as results from natural vitality or favorable conditions: The children thrived in the sunshine. See follow.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
succeedsimple
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succeedssimple
-
have succeededperfect
-
has succeededperfect
-
am succeedingprogressive
-
are succeedingprogressive
-
is succeedingprogressive
-
have been succeedingperfect progressive
-
has been succeedingperfect progressive
Past
-
succeededsimple
-
had succeededperfect
-
was succeedingprogressive
-
were succeedingprogressive
-
had been succeedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of succeed
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English succeden from Old French succeder, from Latin succēdere “to go (from) under, follow, prosper,” equivalent to suc- suc- + cēdere “to go” ( see cede)
Explanation
When you succeed at something, you reach a goal or do really well. If you practice speaking Arabic every day, you are likely to succeed at becoming fluent in this language. When you succeed, you achieve the result you hope for, but another way to use succeed is to describe taking over a position. A prince who will inherit his father's kingdom will succeed his father one day, and a new high school principal can be said to succeed the old one. The Latin root of succeed is succedere, come close after.
Vocabulary lists containing succeed
"The Civil Rights Movement"
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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"Kids Like Me: Voices of the Immigrant Experience"
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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 this Dodgers’ three-peat campaign won’t succeed without his contributions at the plate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Whether this legal challenge will succeed depends in part on whether judges will continue to defer to the president on these particular levies, no matter how much they deviate from previous practice.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Lyft does well when drivers do well, and we’ll stay focused on helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
“We gave this process every opportunity to succeed, and Genco’s response has left us no choice but to withdraw our proposal at this time,” Diana Chief Executive Semiramis Paliou said Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I’d absorbed my family’s love and my parents’ commitment to seeing us succeed.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Tewolde Gebremariam succeeds Campbell Wilson, who stepped down from the role in April.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
And, if a project succeeds, you’ve left a paper trail that shows you were instrumental in its execution.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The former securities regulator and federal prosecutor succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month, and inherits an 18-agency intelligence community shaken by leadership turnover and staff cuts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Yet “The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove” succeeds in extending a warm communal embrace to its audience, which is the ultimate aim of this mischievous and kind-hearted comedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Stannis cannot take the throne without your help. If you're wise, you'll make certain Joffrey succeeds."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
All three approaches had been tested individually before, but none had succeeded in permanently clearing the virus.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
On Wednesday, he succeeded with a splash, joining Joshua Kushner to purchase the Lakers for $12.5 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Cracker Barrel announced in July that Chief Executive Julie Masino would depart this month, succeeded by restaurant industry veteran David Deno.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The agent replied saying it had succeeded by cancelling another gym-goer's booking.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
When Oldenburg mischievously reported an exaggerated account of Hooke’s views to Newton, deliberately trying to stir up trouble, he succeeded better than he could have expected.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
The prospect of a Flintoff succeeding Stokes, after Stokes succeeded a Flintoff, as England's all-rounder is tantalising if, at this point, a long way off.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Lores, the former CEO of HP, assumed PayPal’s top job in March after it issued a profit warning, succeeding former CEO Alex Chriss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
But the coaches know they have someone passionate about succeeding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Jaissle, though, sees the club's rebuild as an opportunity to start a new cycle and mould a young, hungry side after succeeding predecessor Eddie Howe.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
That meant Ambrose would know how close he had come to succeeding.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
