succeed

verb

sək-ˈsēd How to pronounce succeed (audio)
Definition of succeednext
1
as in to go
to turn out as planned or desired the advertising campaign that finally succeeded used humor to sell the product

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to thrive
to reach a desired level of accomplishment if you want to succeed in show business, you have to feel comfortable in front of an audience

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to follow
to come after in time only the results on election day will tell who will succeed the current president

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word succeed different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of succeed are ensue, follow, and supervene. While all these words mean "to come after something or someone," succeed implies a coming after immediately in a sequence determined by natural order, inheritance, election, or laws of rank.

she succeeded her father as head of the business

When can ensue be used instead of succeed?

While in some cases nearly identical to succeed, ensue commonly suggests a logical consequence or naturally expected development.

after the talk a general discussion ensued

When could follow be used to replace succeed?

The words follow and succeed are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, follow may apply to a coming after in time, position, or logical sequence.

speeches followed the dinner

When is supervene a more appropriate choice than succeed?

The synonyms supervene and succeed are sometimes interchangeable, but supervene suggests the following or beginning of something unforeseen or unpredictable.

unable to continue because of supervening circumstances

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of succeed The show is hosted by Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, who never fail to bring the laughs as the home bakers succeed, or seize, under pressure. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Oct. 2026 Despite numerous references to bygone eras, the interior succeeds in being very much contemporary while also very Parisian. — Leonie Rolinck, Architectural Digest, 9 Oct. 2026 Why did the Industrial Revolution succeed far more than the Renaissance? — Christopher Koopman, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 Holmes succeeds Geoff Anderman, who will remain an adviser during the transition. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for succeed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for succeed
  1. go
  2. thrive
  3. follow
  4. click
  5. flourish
  6. replace
  7. deliver
  8. arrive
Verb
  • But this is an album that’s apparently about the artist’s double life, and the questions that are bound to be at the forefront of any curious listener’s mind go unaddressed.
    — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Her bravery reverberates across the country and the crimes against her will not go unpunished.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of go
Verb
  • Carleton wanted to know how those tumors managed, seemingly paradoxically, to thrive.
    — Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But the network uncovered in the San Fernando Valley suggests another kind of prostitution is thriving behind closed doors.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of thrive
Verb
  • But following public pushback over data center projects in Hazle Township and surrounding areas, Shapiro walked back the permissive AI infrastructure policies.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The producers’ MoU follows the film co-production accord already in place at government level between Italy and South Korea.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of follow
Verb
  • Instead of clicking a link in an unexpected email or text, visit the organization's official website independently.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Users can switch back to the original layout, Narasimhan says, and Reels will be unmuted once a user swipes or clicks into a video.
    — Mia Sato, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of click
Verb
  • Left to her own devices, the former Danity Kane and Diddy - Dirty Money member has flourished creatively.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Football—besides being one of our more ubiquitous and unrestrained national entertainments—has also become one of the rare arenas in American life where highly specialized language can flourish without censure.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of flourish
Verb
  • The approach replaces the oxygen normally generated during water electrolysis with an epoxide, a class of chemicals widely used to manufacture polymers, coatings, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, and other products.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Journey are making their final go-round with a lineup featuring Castronovo, Schon, Cain, and singer Arnel Pineda, who joined the group in 2007, replacing original lead singer Steve Perry.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of replace
Verb
  • Earlier this year, the Dutch adaptation launched on RTL4 to more than 1 million viewers and a Polish version delivered TVN’s biggest primetime launch in five years, according to TF1.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Moscow — By agreeing to open Russia’s taps and release hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel into a starving global market, the Kremlin has achieved something that raw military might on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine could never deliver.
    — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of deliver
Verb
  • In the 1980s, when Parisian fashion was all power shoulders and cinched waists, a group of Japanese designers arrived with black clothes, asymmetry, holes and new silhouettes.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • But when Gizelle Bryant and Ashley arrive to check in, the missing wedding ring doesn’t escape their notice.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrive

Browse Nearby Words

subzero
succeed
succeeded
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Cite this Entry

“Succeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/succeed. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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