To succumb means to give in to something overpowering, whether it's pressure, temptation, or force. When you succumb to temptation, you stop resisting and do the thing you were trying to avoid, like succumbing to the urge to eat another cookie even though you promised yourself you wouldn't. When someone succumbs to peer pressure, they go along with what others want despite their own better judgment.

The word often describes yielding to something negative or difficult to resist. A castle might succumb to enemy forces after a long siege. A tired hiker might succumb to exhaustion and need to rest. In medical contexts, when doctors say a patient succumbed to an illness, they mean the person died from it.

Succumb captures that moment when resistance finally breaks down, when you can't hold out any longer against whatever force is pushing against you. When you succumb, you're being overpowered by circumstances, desires, or forces stronger than your ability to resist them, rather than choosing freely.