succumb
suh-KUM
/səˈkʌm/
To fail to resist pressure, temptation, or some other negative force; to die from an illness.
Implies being overwhelmed or defeated by an internal or external force after a struggle.
The story behind the word. From Latin succumbere, from sub- (under) + cumbere (to lie down). Literally to lie down under.
Word relationships
- yield: Yield is general, while succumb implies being completely overwhelmed by a powerful force like disease or temptation.
- conquer: Conquer is to overcome, while succumb is to be overcome.
Commonly confused with
- die: Die is the biological end, while succumb can mean to die of an illness, but also to give in to temptation.
Word family
- succumbed (verb): Past tense of succumb.
- succumbing (verb): Present participle of succumb.
Collocations
- succumb to temptation
- succumb to illness
- succumb to pressure
Example sentences
- "It is easy to succumb to temptation when you are tired and stressed." Describing the struggle with temptation.
Memory hook
When you succumb to temptation, you come down under its weight. Succumb = Lie down under pressure.
When not to use
Do not use for a voluntary, cooperative agreement; use comply or acquiesce instead.
Fun facts
- The root cumbere also gives us recumbent (lying down) and incubate (to lie upon).
Related words
Also appears in
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