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
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succeedsimple
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succeedssimple
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have succeededperfect
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has succeededperfect
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am succeedingprogressive
-
are succeedingprogressive
-
is succeedingprogressive
-
have been succeedingperfect progressive
-
has been succeedingperfect progressive
Past
-
succeededsimple
-
had succeededperfect
-
was succeedingprogressive
-
were succeedingprogressive
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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:
Zellmer, the current CEO of VW’s Škoda, will succeed Håkan Samuelsson, a 75-year-old veteran of Volvo, no later than October 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Slaughter said he found Defending Education likely to succeed on its 1st Amendment challenge, writing that the UC policy “compels speech and is viewpoint-based.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Will I feel better if I succeed at doing these things with consistency?
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
So what of Cooper, who many consider the frontrunner to succeed Davey?
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“You didn’t succeed in finding any,” Taran said angrily.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
He succeeds his former team-mate McCullum, who was sacked as Test coach earlier this summer, but remains as boss of the white-ball team.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
If the man trying to revive the Montreal Expos as an expansion team succeeds, Dan Evans is his choice for president of baseball operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Beyond shifting from a multi-cam comedy to single-cam and Brandy’s changed-up theme song, this “Different World” succeeds by maintaining a wonderfully familiar energy… like coming back home.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Now, the biggest risk may be that science succeeds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
If he succeeds, Lincoln’s prayer for a reunified United States of America may never be answered.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
She succeeded Peter Friedlander, who left after nearly 14 years, and reports to Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
As we mourn the dead from 9/11 on the 25th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack to ever take place on American soil, we have to consider if he succeeded.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The program has succeeded in helping victims obtain compensation faster than if they went to court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Odegaard succeeded where other team-mates failed, Arsenal missing several clear-cut opportunities before he struck.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Bessie now endeavoured to persuade her to take a sedative draught: she succeeded with difficulty.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
The 43-year-old technology executive from London talked about where she thought Net-a-Porter was succeeding and some areas for improvement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
While the Old Trafford job appeared to be too much for Moyes to handle, lasting only 10 months before being sacked, Maresca seems to be embracing the "challenge" and "privilege" of succeeding Guardiola.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Next described the decision as a "landmark victory" succeeding on the "key issue of basic pay".
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
It was unclear what chance the latest complaint has of succeeding, given the cited law existed when the allegations were first presented.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
The lakebed was on a mission to bury the base, the men, and all of their planes, and it was succeeding.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
