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Glite Dictionary
to succumb to

to succumb to

69 5.8
Fail to resist a strong feeling or pressure and give in
  • phrasal verb
  • /səˈkʌm tu/
translation icon : ceder a
  • Nevertheless, we allow ourselves to succumb to it, to be shaped by it.
  • succumb to temptation
  • succumb to pressure
  • succumb to disease

And so he was very unlikely to succumb to going into Syria.

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Examples

  • I will not succumb to panic.

    The Last Earth Girl (2020)

  • We don't have to succumb to the past when we're planning our future.

  • It's easy to succumb to false or weak advice.

  • You know, don't, don't succumb to peer pressure or adult pressure.

    Evan Carmichael

  • It was difficult for her not to succumb to the temptation of a second piece of cake.

  • He didn't want to succumb to the pressure from his friends to skip class.

  • Many people succumb to stress when faced with overwhelming deadlines.

Synonyms

to give in
vsto succumb to
220 3.0

To stop resisting and agree to what others want

means yielding under negative influence rather than necessarily agreeing
to submit
vsto succumb to
187 4.1

To accept another person's control, often against your wishes

focuses on failing to resist pressure or temptation rather than authority specifically
to yield
vsto succumb to
81 4.3

To stop resisting under pressure or force

focuses on failing to resist specifically negative pressure or temptation
to cave
vsto succumb to
  • Informal
71 6.7

To give in to pressure or demands

is a neutral expression for failing to resist, not only informal use
to succumb
vsto succumb to
44 6.6

To die because of a serious illness or strong force

means failing to resist pressure without implying death
to relent
vsto succumb to
31 5.8

To stop resisting and allow something to happen, like a person giving in or a storm easing

is failing to resist without the implied earlier refusal
to capitulate
vsto succumb to
23 8.4

To stop fighting back and accept defeat or demands

means failing to resist pressure or temptation without implying negotiation or terms
to cave in
vsto succumb to
  • Informal
21 4.8

Give in to pressure or strong requests after resisting

is failing to resist negative influence rather than mere collapse
to cave to
vsto succumb to
  • Informal
5 7.6

To give in to pressure or demands from others

is about failing to resist negative forces rather than formal surrender
to buckle under
vsto succumb to
2 6.7

To give in to pressure even though you do not want to

describes failing to resist negative pressure even without explicit agreement
to buckle to
vsto succumb to
2 8.4

To give in to pressure or criticism

is broader, covering failure to resist temptation or negative forces generally
to bend to someone's will
vsto succumb to
7.1

To do what someone else wants even if you do not want to

is broader, covering yielding to negative forces beyond a person's control

Antonyms

to resist
291 2.5

Stop yourself from doing something you want to do

to withstand
122 4.2

To resist strong or harmful force without breaking

How Resistant

to oppose
∞ 2.9
to resist
311 2.2
to succumb to
69 5.8
to give in
220 3.0

Surface Forms

succumb infinitive
succumbed past
succumbed past participle
succumbing present participle
succumbs third person singular

Morphology

succumb + to

The meaning is directly predictable from 'succumb' (to give in after resistance) with 'to' simply linking to what is yielded; the phrase is a regular verb + preposition construction rather than an idiom. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g., Spanish 'sucumbir a', French 'succomber à') further support that a learner who knows the constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Succumb to comes from an old image of a person lying down under a heavy weight when they can no longer fight it. That's why it means 'to give in' to pressure, temptation, or other forces.