Succumbed

Succumbed is the past tense and past participle of the verb succumb. Succumb generally means to yield to a force, influence, or overpowering condition. It can refer to physical force or pressure, to temptation or desire, or to dying from illness or injury.

In the sense of yielding to pressure, it describes a failure to resist: a person or entity may succumb to a stronger force. For example, a fortress or city may succumb to a siege; a company may succumb to bankruptcy after a period of losses.

In the sense of giving in to temptation or desire, it describes surrendering to an urge. A person may succumb to temptation, addiction, or a worsening mood. This use emphasizes weakness or inevitability rather than deliberate choice.

In the sense of death due to illness or overwhelming condition, succumbed means died as a result of the illness or injury. This usage is common in obituaries or clinical reporting, as in “the patient succumbed to cancer after a long illness.”

Etymology and usage notes: succumb derives from Latin succumbere, sub- meaning under and cumbere meaning to lie down. The modern sense extends to both literal and figurative submission. It is generally intransitive, taking a to- or under-phrase to specify what is yielded to. In informal contexts, give in or yield may be preferred; succumb carries a more formal or somber tone. Synonyms include yield, surrender, capitulate, be overcome; antonyms include resist, withstand, persevere.