succumb

English

Etymology

From Old French succomber, from Latin succumbō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səˈkʌm/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌm

Verb

succumb (third-person singular simple present succumbs, present participle succumbing, simple past and past participle succumbed)

1. (intransitive) To yield to an overpowering force or overwhelming desire.

   succumb to temptation

   succumb under misfortunes

   Thai culture as in many other Asian cultures, is succumbing to the influence of westernization.

   • 2011 December 21, Tom Rostance, “Fulham 0 - 5 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Jones was called into action to deny Ruiz with a fine tackle before succumbing to his injury.

   • 2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Grange-over-Sands”, in RAIL, number 948, page 28:

     Sadly, the independent bookshop that occupied a room in the southern station building has succumbed to closure, due to the pandemic.

2. (intransitive) To give up, or give in.
3. (intransitive) To die.

   succumb to pneumonia

4. (transitive) To overwhelm or bring down.
   • 2012, Scott M. Garrett, Forever Different, →ISBN:

     He has not allowed the burn and his subsequent injury to succumb him, but to make him forever different but also, I think, forever better.

   • 2014, Gideon C Mekwunye, Tear Drops - Part 2, →ISBN, page 455:

     She had run away with Chiwi to San Jose when he was a year and half old; only to succumb him to the abuse of his aunt.

   • 2015, David Marlett, Fortunate Son: A Novel of the Greatest Trial in Irish History, →ISBN:

     Known to be genuinely cheerful, every few months an unseen shadow would nevertheless succumb him, delivering a two-week melancholic stew of resentment and depression.

Synonyms

• (die): See also Thesaurus:die

Translations

to yield to an overpowering force or overwhelming desire — See also translations at yield

• Bulgarian: поддавам се (poddavam se), отстъпвам (bg) (otstǎpvam)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 屈服 (wat¹ fuk⁶)

  Mandarin: 屈服 (zh) (qūfú)

• Czech: podlehnout
• Finnish: antaa periksi (fi)
• French: succomber (fr)
• Georgian: დანებება (danebeba)
• German: erliegen (de), nachgeben (de)
• Greek: υποκύπτω (el) (ypokýpto)
• Hungarian: enged (hu)

• Latin: succumbō
• Maori: auheke
• Norwegian: gi etter (no)

  Bokmål: gi etter (no), føye seg

• Polish: ulec (pl)
• Portuguese: sucumbir (pt)
• Romanian: sucomba (ro)
• Russian: уступа́ть (ru) (ustupátʹ)
• Slovene: podleči (sl)
• Spanish: sucumbir (es)
• Telugu: లొంగు (te) (loṅgu)

to give up, or give in

• Bulgarian: предавам се (predavam se)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 屈從 (wat¹ cong⁴)

  Mandarin: 屈從 (zh), 屈从 (zh) (qūcóng)

• Czech: podlehnout pf
• Finnish: antaa periksi (fi), antautua (fi)
• French: succomber (fr)
• Georgian: დანებება (danebeba)
• German: unterwerfen (de), nachgeben (de), sich ergeben
• Greek: υποκύπτω (el) (ypokýpto)

• Hungarian: megadja magát, elbukik (hu), alulmarad (hu)
• Italian: soccombere (it), arrendersi (it)
• Latin: succumbō
• Maori: auheke
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gi seg (no), gi opp (no)

• Polish: ulec (pl)
• Portuguese: sucumbir (pt), desistir (pt)
• Romanian: ceda (ro), a se da bătut
• Russian: уступа́ть (ru) (ustupátʹ)
• Spanish: sucumbir (es), rendirse (es), ceder (es)
• Telugu: లొంగు (te) (loṅgu)

to die

• Bulgarian: умирам (bg) (umiram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 死 (zh) (sǐ)

• Czech: podlehnout
• Finnish: menehtyä (fi)
• French: succomber (fr)
• German: sterben (de), erliegen (de)
• Greek: υποκύπτω (el) (ypokýpto)
• Hungarian: elhuny (hu), meghal (hu), (“to something”; -ba/-be complement required) belehal (hu)

• Italian: soccombere (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gi opp ånden

• Polish: umrzeć (pl)
• Portuguese: sucumbir (pt), morrer (pt)
• Romanian: sucomba (ro)
• Russian: умирать (ru) (umiratʹ)
• Slovene: podleči (sl)
• Spanish: morir (es), sucumbir (es)
• Swedish: dö (sv)

to overwhelm

• German: überwältigen (de), unterwerfen (de)

• Polish: przytłoczyć

References

• “succumb”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.