succumb

[suh-kuhm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR succumb ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to give way to superior force; yield: to succumb to despair.

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

Nearby words

Origin of succumb

1480–90; < Latin succumbere, equivalent to suc- suc- + -cumbere, transitive derivative of cubāre to lie, recline; cf. incumbent

SYNONYMS FOR succumb

1. submit, accede, surrender.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR succumb ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formssuc·cumb·er, nounun·suc·cumb·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for succumb

Salia was the third patient to be treated in Nebraska, but the first to succumb to the disease.
Was Flying Hero Doctor With Ebola to the U.S. the Wrong Call?|Abby Haglage|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because we are surrounded by a world that demands we submit, succumb, and believe in nothing.
The NRA’s Multimillion-Dollar New Ad Campaign Is Despicable|Michael Daly|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the 21st century, however, we suppress the magic of it and succumb to the fear of it.
Twin Disasters Turn 2014 Into the Year of Flying Dangerously|Clive Irving|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We've already seen Don resist temptation, and succumb to it, and resist it again.
Mad Men’s Dramatic Déjà Vu: ‘Time Zones’ Feels Redundant|Andrew Romano|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Rather than retreat, she seduced him by falling into a trance and pretending to succumb to a bout of automatic writing.
Seduce Like a Writer: How 7 Famous Scribes Wooed|Joni Rendon, Shannon McKenna Schmidt|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the first time, my stamina seemed inclined to succumb before it.
Rattlin the Reefer|Edward Howard
Do not fumble with it, or succumb to the insinuating temptation of clinging to what is so effective.
How to See a Play|Richard Burton
Was he likely to give in or to succumb to a woman like Mrs. Bell?
The Honorable Miss|L. T. Meade
Oddly enough, the country where the movement began was the last to succumb completely.
And All the Earth a Grave|Carroll M. Capps (AKA C.C. MacApp)
“Why, I thought so myself,” said Morris, in a tone of discontent at having to succumb to the general belief.
Nestleton Magna|J. Jackson Wray

British Dictionary definitions for succumb

succumb

verb (intr often foll by to)

to give way in face of the overwhelming force (of) or desire (for)

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

Derived Formssuccumber, noun

Word Origin for succumb

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

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

Word Origin and History for succumb

succumb

late 15c., from Middle French succomber, from Latin succumbere "submit, sink down, lie under," from sub "down" (see sub-) + -cumbere "take a reclining position," related to cubare "lie down" (see cubicle). Originally transitive; sense of "sink under pressure" is first recorded c.1600. Related: Succumbed; succumbing.

succumb

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of succumb

Examples from the Web for succumb

succumb

verb (intr often foll by to)

Word Origin for succumb

succumb