Succeed Means to Follow, and Also to Do Well
To succeed is to achieve something, and to come after someone. The two senses share a Latin verb meaning to come next.
To succeed means both to achieve what you set out to do and to follow someone in a position. One Latin verb covers both: *succedere*, to come after or go up under. Succession is the following, and success was originally just the outcome — good or bad — before it narrowed to the good kind.
- To achieve an aim. *The plan succeeded.*
- To follow in a position. *She succeeded him as chair.*
- Succession — the order of following. *The line of succession.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | succeed | Succeed at last. |
| Past | succeeded | She succeeded him. |
| Noun | success | Great success. |
| Noun | succession | Royal succession. |
| Adjective | successive | Three successive wins. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He succeeded in persuading them.Succeed in plus -ing.
- She succeeded her mother as director.Following in a role.
- Four successive governments failed to act.One after another.
Successive or successful?
- Successive — following one after another
- Successful — achieving the desired result
- Succession — the sequence, or the right to follow
- Successor — the person who follows
- Succeed — both to follow and to achieve
From Latin *succedere*, to come after, from *sub*, under or close after, and *cedere*, to go — the same verb as in *proceed*, *recede* and *concede*.
Successive or successful?
Successive means one after another; successful means it worked. Three successive attempts may be entirely unsuccessful.
Did *success* once mean any outcome?
Yes. In earlier English you could have good or ill success. The word narrowed to the favourable sense over time.