Succeed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Succeeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Succeeding.]
Etymology: [L. succedere, successum; sub under + cedere to go, to go along, approach, follow, succeed: cf. F. succéder. See Cede, and cf. Success.]
1. To follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of; as, the king's eldest son succeeds his father on the throne; autumn succeeds summer. As he saw him nigh succeed. Spenser.
2. To fall heir to; to inherit. [Obs. & R.] Shak.
3. To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue. Destructive effects . . . succeeded the curse. Sir T. Browne.
4. To support; to prosper; to promote. [R.] Succeed my wish and second my design. Dryden.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Succeed, v. i.
1. 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. If the father left only daughters, they equally succeeded to him in copartnership. Sir M. Hale. Enjoy till I return Short pleasures; for long woes are to succeed! Milton.
2. Specifically: To ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant. No woman shall succeed in Salique land. Shak.
3. To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve. Shak.
4. To obtain the object desired; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to have a prosperous issue or termination; to be successful; as, he succeeded in his plans; his plans succeeded. It is almost impossible for poets to succeed without ambition. Dryden. Spenser endeavored it in Shepherd's Kalendar; but neither will it succeed in English. Dryden.
5. To go under cover. [A latinism. Obs.] Will you to the cooler cave succeed! Dryden.
Syn. -- To follow; pursue. See Follow.
Shades of meaning
A person succeeds when he accomplishes what he attempts, or attains a desired object or result; an enterprise or undertaking succeeds that has a prosperous result. To win implies that some one loses, but one may succeed where no one fails. A solitary swimmer succeeds in reaching the shore; if we say he wins the shore we contrast him with himself as a possible loser. Many students may succeed in study; a few win the special prizes, for which all compete. Compare follow.