Etymology : Middle English succeden, from Latin succedere to go up, follow after, succeed, from sub- near + cedere to go; more at SUB-
Pronunciation : s&k-sEd
Function : verb
Date : 14th century
1. prosper; achieve, attain; come after, follow; take the place of; inherit. succeed\suc*ceed"\ , v. t. [imp. & p. p. succeeded; p. pr. & vb. n. succeeding.] [l. succedere, successum; sub under + cedere to go, to go along, approach, follow, succeed: cf. f. succéder. see:
cede, and cf. success.].
2. to follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of; as, the king's eldest son succeeds his father on the throne; autumn succeeds summer. as he saw him nigh succeed.
3. to fall heir to; to inherit. [obs. & r.].
4. to come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue. destructive effects succeeded the curse. t. browne.
5. to support; to prosper; to promote. [r.] succeed my wish and second my design.succeed \suc*ceed"\, v. i.
6. to come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; -- often with to. if the father left only daughters, they equally succeeded to him in copartnership. m. hale. enjoy till i return short pleasures; for long woes are to succeed!.
7. specifically: to ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant. no woman shall succeed in salique land.
8. to descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve.
9. to obtain the object desired; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to have a prosperous issue or termination; to be successful; as, he succeeded in his plans; his plans succeeded. it is almost impossible for poets to succeed without ambition. spenser endeavored it in shepherd's kalendar; but neither will it succeed in english.
10. to go under cover. [a latinism. obs.] will you to the cooler cave succeed!.
11. To follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of; as, the king's eldest son succeeds his father on the throne; autumn succeeds summer.
12. To fall heir to; to inherit.
13. To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue.
14. To support; to prosper; to promote.
15. To come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; often with to.
16. Specifically: To ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant.
17. To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve.
18. To obtain the object desired; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to have a prosperous issue or termination; to be successful; as, he succeeded in his plans; his plans succeeded.
19. To go under cover. be the successor ; "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles succeed to the throne?" attain success or reach a desired goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won".
20. 1. If you succeed in doing something, you manage to do it. We have already succeeded in working out ground rules with the Department of Defense Some people will succeed in their efforts to stop smoking ¡Ù fail.
21. If something succeeds, it works in a satisfactory way or has the result that is intended. a move which would make any future talks even more unlikely to succeed. ¡Ù fail.
22. Someone who succeeds gains a high position in what they do, for example in business or politics. the skills and qualities needed to succeed in small and medium-sized businesses. ¡Ù fail.
23. If you succeed another person, you are the next person to have their job or position. David Rowland is almost certain to succeed him as chairman on January 1 The present ruler, Prince Rainier III, succeeded to the throne on 9 May 1949.
24. If one thing is succeeded by another thing, the other thing happens or comes after it. A quick divorce can be succeeded by a much longer -- and more agonising -- period of haggling over the fate of the family.