the man designated to succeed the president.
verb /sək'sid/
1
to do what you tried or wanted to do.
to do what you are trying to do : to achieve the correct or desired result.
to achieve sth that you have been trying to do or get; to have the result or effect that was intended.
ACHIEVE SOMETHING If you succeed, you achieve something that you have been aiming for, and if a plan or piece of work succeeds, it has the results that you wanted.
to achieve something that you planned to do or attempted to do.
used for saying that someone’s actions have a negative result that is the opposite of what they intended.
If you succeed in doing something, you manage to do it. Ant: fail
She wanted to be the first woman to climb Mount Everest, and she almost succeeded. [Everest /'evərist/]
succeed in doing something
Scientists claim they have succeeded in finding a cure for cancer.
Very few people succeed in losing weight and keeping it off.
Register
In everyday English, people often say they manage to do something rather than succeed in doing something:
· Eventually I managed to get the lid back on the box.
GRAMMAR
• You succeed in doing something:
· She succeeded in persuading him.
✗Don’t say: She succeeded to persuade him.
• You can also use succeed on its own:
· I hope you succeed.
• Succeed is not used transitively in this meaning. ✗Don’t say: I hope you succeed it.
grammar guide ‒ verbs
You can succeed where others failed.
She hopes to succeed [=to do well] at her job.
He will never succeed in this business. [=he will never be successful in this business]
Our team succeeded in stopping their offensive momentum. [momentum = noun, /mo'mɛntəm/, 1). the ability to keep increasing, developing, or being more successful]
She finally succeeded in persuading me to go.
Our plan succeeded.
He succeeded in getting a place at art school.
She's been trying to pass her driving test for six years and she's finally succeeded.
You need to be pretty tough to succeed in the property world.
The campaign has certainly succeeded in raising public awareness of the issue.
(humorous ) Richard succeeded in offending (= managed unintentionally to offend) just about everybody in the room!
Common Learner Errors
Remember: succeed is usually followed by the preposition in.
Don't say 'succeed something', say succeed in something:
✗ I hope you will succeed your new job.
• I hope you will succeed in your new job.
When succeed in is followed by a verb, that verb is usually in the -ing form:
Don't say 'succeed to do something' or 'succeed doing something', say succeed in doing something:
• They finally succeeded in catching the killer.
We all want to make the peace process succeed.
We finally succeeded in getting Marjorie up the stairs.
They were trying to please us but just succeeded in offending everyone.
We have already succeeded in working out ground rules with the Department of Defense.
Some people will succeed in their efforts to stop smoking.
If they can succeed in America and Europe, then they can succeed here too.
2
to have the result or effect something was intended to have.
to happen in the planned or desired way.
to be successful in your job, earning money, power, respect, etc.
to do well in school, in your career, or in some other activity.
Someone who succeeds gains a high position in what they do, for example in business or politics.
Unfortunately his plan did not succeed.
Register
In everyday English, people often say that a method or treatment works rather than succeeds:
· We tried rebooting the computer, but that didn’t work.
The plan just might succeed.
Their attempt seemed unlikely to succeed.
You will have to work hard if you are to succeed.
She doesn't have the ruthlessness required to succeed in business.
He had hoped to succeed as a violinist.
You have 50,000 fans hoping that you succeed in the final.
In today’s economy, you need to have very specific skills to succeed.
If you want to succeed in business, think big.
There is a lot of pressure on children to succeed in school.
the skills and qualities needed to succeed in small and medium-sized businesses.
3
to do well in your job, especially because you have worked hard at it for a long time.
If something succeeds, it works in a satisfactory way or has the result that is intended.
succeed as
I’m not sure he has the determination to succeed as an actor.
succeed in
a woman who succeeded in politics
If marriage is to succeed in the 1990's, then people have to recognise the new pressures it is facing.
a move which would make any future talks even more unlikely to succeed.
4
to be the next person to take a position or job after someone else.
to get a particular job, position, or title after the person who had it before you has retired, died, etc.
to come next after sb/sth and take their/its place or position.
to gain the right to a title, property, etc. when sb dies.
FOLLOW to take an official job or position after someone else.
to replace someone in an important or powerful job or position.
If you succeed another person, you are the next person to have their job or position.
succeed somebody as something
Reeves will succeed Segal as Speaker of the House.
succeed somebody to the throne (=to be the next king or queen after someone else) [throne = noun, /θron/, 1). a special chair used by a king or queen at important ceremonies. 2). the throne the position and power of being a king or queen]
Who will succeed him to the throne?
Both of them have ambitions to succeed the prime minister.
She will succeed him as chair of the committee. [chair = noun, /tʃɛr/, 2). the position of being in charge of a meeting or committee, or the person who is in charge of it]
The Queen died and was succeeded by James I.
James I succeeded to the throne upon the Queen's death in 1603.
Who succeeded Kennedy as President? [Kennedy /ˈkɛnɪdi/]
Their early success was succeeded by a period of miserable failure.
Strands of DNA are reproduced through succeeding generations.
She succeeded to the throne (= became queen) in 1558.
He had no right to succeed to the tenancy when his father died. [tenancy = noun, /'tɛnənsi/, 1). the period of time that someone rents a house, land etc. 2). the right to use a house, land etc that is rented]
He succeeded his father as editor of the paper.
When the Queen dies, her eldest son will succeed to the throne.
In 1649 Turkey’s Sultan Ibrahim was succeeded by Mohammed IV.
Anderson is expected to succeed Rondell as president of the board.
David Rowland is almost certain to succeed him as chairman on January 1.
The present ruler, Prince Rainier III, succeeded to the throne on 9 May 1949.
5
to come after or replace something else, especially another product.
to come after (something) in a series.
to come after another person or thing in time.
to follow and replace something.
If one thing is succeeded by another thing, the other thing happens or comes after it.
This car is intended to succeed the popular Fiesta.
The new model will succeed [=replace] the current one next spring.
In the weeks that succeeded, five more patients showed similar symptoms.
Almost from its beginnings, New York has produced succeeding generations of intellectuals.
Embarrassment had now been succeeded by fear.
A quick divorce can be succeeded by a much longer - and more agonising - period of haggling over the fate of the family. [agonising (agonizing AE)= adjective, /ˈæɡəˌnaɪzɪŋ/, causing extreme physical or mental pain] [haggle = verb, /'hæɡl/, to argue when you are trying to agree about the price of something.haggle over]
6
nothing succeeds like success
used to say that success often leads to even greater success.
used to say that one success often results in another success;
(saying) when you are successful in one area of your life, it often leads to success in other areas.
7
only succeed in doing something
used when someone does the opposite of what they intended to do.
It seems I’ve only succeeded in upsetting you.
I tried to apologize but only succeeded in making her angrier. [=all I did was make her angrier when I tried to apologize]
I tried to discuss it with her but only succeeded in making her angry (= I failed and did the opposite of what I intended).
8
if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again (phrase)
(idiom saying) said to encourage someone who has failed at something to try to do it again.
used for telling someone not to stop trying if they do not achieve what they want the first time