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Definition of succumb verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

succumb

verb
 
/səˈkʌm/
 
/səˈkʌm/
(formal)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they succumb
 
/səˈkʌm/
 
/səˈkʌm/
he / she / it succumbs
 
/səˈkʌmz/
 
/səˈkʌmz/
past simple succumbed
 
/səˈkʌmd/
 
/səˈkʌmd/
past participle succumbed
 
/səˈkʌmd/
 
/səˈkʌmd/
-ing form succumbing
 
/səˈkʌmɪŋ/
 
/səˈkʌmɪŋ/
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  1. [intransitive] to not be able to fight an attack, a temptation, etc.
    • The town succumbed after a short siege.
    • They were all offered bribes and some of them succumbed.
    • succumb to something He finally succumbed to Lucy's charms and agreed to her request.
    • She succumbed to the temptation of another drink.
    • people who succumb easily to exploitation
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • almost
    • quickly
    • rapidly
    verb + succumb
    • be likely to
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive] succumb (to something) to die from the effect of a disease or an injury
    • His career was cut short when he succumbed to cancer.
    Topics Health problemsc2
  3. Word Originlate 15th cent. (in the sense ‘bring low, overwhelm’): from Old French succomber or Latin succumbere, from sub- ‘under’ + a verb related to cubare ‘to lie’.
See succumb in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
generic
adjective
 
 
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