Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To come next in time or order.
  • intransitive verb To replace another in office or position: synonym: follow.
  • intransitive verb To accomplish something desired or intended.
  • intransitive verb Obsolete To pass to a person by way of inheritance.
  • intransitive verb To come after (something) in time or order; follow.
  • intransitive verb To come after and take the place of.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To follow; come after; be subsequent or consequent to.
  • To take the place of; be heir or successor to.
  • To fall heir to; inherit.
  • To prosper; give success to.
  • To follow; be subsequent; come after; come next; come in the place of another or of that which has preceded.
  • To become heir; take the place of one who has died; specifically, to ascend a throne after the removal or death of the occupant.
  • To come down by order of succession; descend; devolve.
  • To arrive at a happy issue; be successful in any endeavor; meet with success; obtain the object desired; accomplish what is attempted or intended.
  • To terminate according to desire; turn out successfully; have the desired result: as, his plan succeeded admirably.
  • To descend.
  • To approach by following.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of.
  • transitive verb Obs. & R. To fall heir to; to inherit.
  • transitive verb To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue.
  • transitive verb rare To support; to prosper; to promote.
  • intransitive verb To come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; -- often with to.
  • intransitive verb To ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant.
  • intransitive verb To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve.
  • intransitive verb To obtain the object desired; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to have a prosperous issue or termination; to be successful.
  • intransitive verb A latinism. Obs. To go under cover.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of.
  • verb To obtain the object desired; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to have a prosperous issue or termination; to be successful.
  • verb To fall heir to; to inherit.
  • verb To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue.
  • verb To support; to prosper; to promote.
  • verb To come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; -- often with to.
  • verb Specifically: To ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant.
  • verb To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve.
  • verb To go under cover.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb attain success or reach a desired goal
  • verb be the successor (of)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English succeden, from Old French succeder, from Latin succēdere : sub-, near; see sub– + cēdere, to go; see ked- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French succeder, from Latin succedere ("to go under, go from under, come under, approach, follow, take the place of, receive by succession, prosper, be successful")

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Examples

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  • Contronymic in the sense: win out vs. follow after (i.e., come in second--lose).

    January 27, 2007