Succumb
/səˈkʌm/
verbC1
Definition
Succumb means to stop fighting or resisting something because it is too strong or powerful. People often use it when someone gives in to illness, pressure, or a strong feeling. It shows losing a struggle or being overcome by something.
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See It in Action
To fail to resist pressure, temptation, or illness
- •After many days sick, he finally succumbed to the disease.
- •She succumbed to the temptation to eat chocolate.
- •The town succumbed to enemy forces after a long battle.
To die or be defeated because of something
- •Many soldiers succumbed during the harsh winter.
- •He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'succumb' like 'give up,' but more serious and often because something is very strong or hard to fight
- ✓Picture a person trying to hold back water, but the water rises and finally pushes them down—this is like succumbing
- ✓It's the feeling when you try very hard not to eat a sweet, but finally you eat it because you cannot resist anymore
- ✓Sounds like 'suck-come' → imagine something sucking you in until you come down and stop fighting
- ✓In stories, a hero might succumb to a powerful enemy or a dangerous illness, showing a moment of weakness or loss
- ✓NOT like 'lose' (which can be by many reasons), 'succumb' means losing because something is stronger and you stop resisting
- ✓NOT like 'fall' (which can be physical or accidental), 'succumb' is giving in after a struggle or fight
Try Other Words
- •Yield: to give way or stop resisting (Use when focusing on stopping resistance, often in formal or serious contexts)
- •Surrender: to give control to someone or something else (Use when the giving in is to a person or force in conflict)
- •Give in: to agree to something after resisting (Use in casual situations of stopping resistance)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: 'sub-' (under) + 'cumbere' (Latin root meaning to lie down or bend)
- •Etymology: From Latin 'succumbere,' meaning to lie down under or give way
- •Historical development: Originally meaning to physically lie down or give way, it evolved to mean giving in to pressure or dying
- •Modern usage: Used to describe giving in to strong forces like illness, temptation, or pressure, often with a serious tone
Reflect & Connect
•When is it better to resist and not succumb, and when might giving in be okay or even good?
•How does the idea of succumbing help us understand moments of weakness or human limits?
Fill in the blanks
1.She tried hard to stay healthy but finally succumbed ___ the illness after weeks of struggle.
2.When faced with strong pressure, some people succumb ___ fear or stress.
3.Unlike simply losing a game, to succumb means you ___ fighting because something is too powerful.
4.He refused to succumb ___ temptation even when everyone else gave in.
5.The soldiers succumbed ___ the harsh weather, showing how difficult the conditions were.
6.Succumb is often used to describe giving in after a long ___ or fight.
7.When someone succumbs to an addiction, it means they can no longer ___ the desire or urge.