succumb

/səˈkʌm/

to yield to pressure or temptation

After weeks of stress, she finally succumbed to exhaustion.

She gave in to her extreme tiredness after a long period of stress.

formalinformal

to give way to something, especially after resisting for a time

The city succumbed to the invading army after a long siege.

The city surrendered to the invading army after a prolonged resistance.

He tried to resist the temptation, but eventually succumbed to the delicious dessert.

He fought the urge, but ultimately gave in to the temptation of the dessert.

Often used in contexts of yielding to pressure, temptation, or overwhelming force.

Collocations

succumb toto yield to something, especially after resisting

The phrase 'succumb to' is the most common collocation, indicating yielding to something after resistance.

From Latin 'succumbere', meaning 'to lie down under, yield, submit', from 'sub-' (under) + 'cumbere' (to lie down).

Often used in formal or literary contexts, but also common in everyday language when describing giving in to something.

sub-

under

prefix

-cumb

to lie down

root

English Dictionary