succeeding
/səkˈsiːd/ (bre, ipa) · [səksˈidɪŋ] /səkˈsiːd/ (ame, ipa)
succeeding — verb
- succeedingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- succeedings3rd person singular
- succeedinging-ing form
- succeedingedpast simple
1. to reach a goal you have been working toward, or for a plan, project, or attempt
to reach a goal you have been working toward, or for a plan, project, or attempt to bring about the result you wanted.
Eli finally succeeded in baking a sourdough loaf with a crispy crust.
succeed in + -ing (typical pattern for achieving a personal goal)
The fundraising campaign succeeded beyond what the village council had hoped for.
intransitive use with abstract subject (plan, project, campaign)
After two failed attempts at the climbing wall, Rania succeeded on her third try.
Few small bakeries succeed at staying open through their first winter.
Tariro and her sister succeeded in raising enough money to repair the school roof.
- manage
more conversational; emphasises overcoming difficulty
- achieve
transitive; takes the goal as a direct object (`achieve a goal`) rather than `in + -ing`
- accomplish
slightly formal; stresses completing a specific task
文法句型
succeed in + -ing
succeed at + noun
用法筆記
Frequently followed by `in + -ing` when the goal is an action; followed by `at` when the goal is an activity or skill. Subject can be a person, plan, project, business, or attempt.
常見錯誤
2. to take over an official position, title, or property from another person, typic
to take over an official position, title, or property from another person, typically because that person has left, retired, or died.
Nadia succeeded her grandfather as chair of the family publishing house.
succeed [person] as [role] — most common pattern for replacing someone
When Queen Margrethe abdicated, her eldest son succeeded to the Danish throne.
succeed to + the throne / a title (formal inheritance sense)
Reuben succeeded Aoi as principal of the small island school last September.
Lucía will succeed the retiring head nurse at the village clinic next month.
- replace
neutral and broader; works for any job, not just official titles
- take over from
informal; phrasal verb close in meaning
- inherit
stresses receiving property or title, not necessarily filling a role
- precede
to come before someone in a role rather than after
文法句型
succeed someone as something
succeed to a title
succeed to the throne
用法筆記
Often passive in formal writing (`was succeeded by`). Distinguish from sense 3: this sense focuses on the OFFICE or TITLE being taken over, while sense 3 is plain temporal sequence with no role transfer.
常見錯誤
3. for one event, period, or thing to come right after another in time or order, wi
for one event, period, or thing to come right after another in time or order, without any idea of taking over a role.
A long drought succeeded the heavy spring rains across the central valley.
[weather event] succeed [weather event] — natural temporal sequence
Years of quiet farming succeeded the noisy gold rush in that mountain town.
Christopher noticed that a heavy silence succeeded every angry outburst from his uncle.
A new exhibition on coastal birds succeeded the popular dinosaur display at the museum.
- follow
much more common in everyday English; same meaning here
- come after
neutral and conversational alternative
- precede
to come before in time or sequence
文法句型
[event A] succeed [event B]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: no role transfer — only temporal order. Subjects and objects are typically events, periods, or items in a sequence, not people. Common in narrative or historical writing.