succumbs

Succumbs is the third-person singular present tense of the verb succumb. It means to yield or give way to a force, influence, or circumstance stronger than oneself. The term can describe dying from illness or injury, but it is also used for non-physical defeats, such as yielding to temptation, pressure, or fatigue. In medical writing, a patient may succumb to an illness; in general prose, people may succumb to stress or to peer pressure.

Etymology: Succumbere is a Latin verb formed from sub- “under” and cubere “to lie down.” The word entered English via Old French succomber and developed into the modern form succumb in the Middle English period, with the present tense use becoming common in later centuries.

Usage notes: Succumbs is usually followed by to, as in succumbs to a disease or succumbs to temptation. It often conveys inevitability, exhaustion, or finality, and is somewhat formal or solemn in tone. It is not typically used for neutral or purely voluntary acts in legal contexts; terms like surrender or capitulate may be preferred there. Related concepts include yield, give in, and bow.

Examples:

- The city finally succumbs to the siege.

- The patient succumbs to pneumonia after a long illness.

- After years of resistance, she finally succumbs to peer pressure.