Precede vs. Succeed: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 5, 2023
Precede means to come before something in time, place, or order; Succeed means to follow or come after something.
Key Differences
Precede and Succeed are two terms that refer to the order or arrangement of things, especially in terms of time and sequence. To precede is to be positioned before something else in time, place, or rank, emphasizing the chronological or spatial arrangement. Succeed, in contrast, is to come after something, particularly in sequence or in time, accentuating the following nature in the arrangement.
The concept of precede is crucial in various contexts such as events, actions, or items in a series, where it illustrates something that happens or exists before another. It implies a former occurrence or existence. Succeed reflects the subsequent nature of elements, highlighting the items, actions, or events that come after, underscoring the latter occurrence or existence.
Precede is oriented towards the past, suggesting a preexisting state or occurrence, while it’s inherent in the definition of succeed to be future-oriented, pointing towards a following state or occurrence. Precede is about what has already occurred or been established, while succeed is about what will occur or be established next.
In linguistic terms, to precede implies being positioned before another component in a sentence or a phrase. It denotes prior placement in syntax or structure. On the contrary, to succeed signifies being positioned after another component in linguistic constructs, denoting subsequent placement in structure or syntax.
In conclusion, precede and succeed are antonymic in essence, the former elucidating the concept of being or occurring before in time, place, or order, and the latter explicating the concept of following or coming after something in sequence, time, or arrangement.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To come before in time, place, or order.
To come after or follow in time, place, or order.
Orientation
Oriented towards the past; implies a former state or occurrence.
Oriented towards the future; implies a following state or occurrence.
Linguistic Placement
Positioned before another component in a sentence or phrase.
Positioned after another component in a sentence or phrase.
Usage
Used to denote prior occurrence or existence.
Used to denote subsequent occurrence or existence.
Antonym
Succeed is the antonym of precede.
Precede is the antonym of succeed.
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Precede and Succeed Definitions
Precede
To come before in time.
The invention of the telephone preceded the advent of the internet.
Succeed
To inherit an estate or title.
The eldest son will succeed to the family estate.
Precede
To go in advance or ahead of.
The police car will precede the parade.
Succeed
To come next after another in office or position.
The newly elected mayor will succeed the outgoing one.
Precede
To be positioned in front of or prior to.
The introduction precedes the first chapter in the book.
Succeed
To take over a throne, office, or other positions.
The vice president will succeed the president if necessary.
Precede
To surpass or exceed in rank or importance.
The needs of children should precede those of adults in times of crisis.
Succeed
To come next in time or order
She fell sick, and what succeeded was an outpouring of concern from her fans.
Precede
To cause or give rise to.
Increased cloud cover usually precedes rainfall.
Succeed
To replace another in office or position
The prince succeeded to the throne.
Precede
To come, exist, or occur before in time
A lecture preceded the movie.
Succeed
To accomplish something desired or intended
"Success is counted sweetest / By those who ne'er succeed" (Emily Dickinson).
Precede
To be in front of or prior to in order
A precedes B in the alphabet.
Succeed
(Obsolete) To pass to a person by way of inheritance.
Precede
To go in advance of
A marching band preceded the float.
Succeed
To come after (something) in time or order; follow
Winter succeeds autumn.
Precede
To preface; introduce
Preceded her lecture with a funny anecdote.
Succeed
To come after and take the place of
The heir succeeded the king.
Precede
To be before in time, order, or position.
Succeed
(transitive) To follow something in sequence or time.
Autumn succeeds summer.
Precede
(transitive) To go before, go in front of.
Cultural genocide precedes physical genocide.
Succeed
(transitive) To replace or supplant someone in order vis-à-vis an office, position, or title.
The king's eldest son succeeds his father on the throne.
After a contentious election, Jones succeeded Smith as president of the republic.
Take the place of
Precede
(transitive) To cause to be preceded; to preface; to introduce.
Succeed
(intransitive) To come after or follow; to be subsequent or consequent; often with to.
Precede
(transitive) To have higher rank than (someone or something else).
Succeed
(intransitive) 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.
Following the death of his mother, he succeeded to the throne.
So, if the issue of the elder son succeed before the younger, the crown (or: property) falls to me.
Precede
Brief editorial preface (usually to an article or essay)
Succeed
(intransitive) To ascend the throne after the removal or death of the occupant.
Princess Buttercup succeeded to the throne as queen after King Willoughby died.
Precede
To go before in order of time; to occur first with relation to anything.
Succeed
(intransitive) To prevail in obtaining an intended objective or accomplishment; to prosper as a result or conclusion of a particular effort.
The persecution of any righteous practice has never succeeded in the face of history; in fact, it can expedite the collapse of the persecutory regime.
She succeeded in her efforts to repair the tank.
Precede
To go before in place, rank, or importance.
Succeed
(intransitive) To prosper or attain success and beneficial results in general.
Voted most likely to succeed
Precede
To cause to be preceded; to preface; to introduce; - used with by or with before the instrumental object.
It is usual to precede hostilities by a public declaration.
Succeed
To turn out, fare, do (well or ill).
Precede
Be earlier in time; go back further;
Stone tools precede bronze tools
Succeed
(transitive) To support; to prosper; to promote or give success to.
Precede
Come before;
Most English adjectives precede the noun they modify
Succeed
(intransitive) To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve; often with to.
Precede
Be the predecessor of;
Bill preceded John in the long line of Susan's husbands
Succeed
To fall heir to; to inherit.
Precede
Move ahead (of others) in time or space
Succeed
To go down or near with to.
Precede
Furnish with a preface or introduction;
She always precedes her lectures with a joke
He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution
Succeed
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.
Succeed
To fall heir to; to inherit.
Succeed
To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue.
Destructive effects . . . succeeded the curse.
Succeed
To support; to prosper; to promote.
Succeed my wish and second my design.
Succeed
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.
Enjoy till I returnShort pleasures; for long woes are to succeed!
Succeed
To ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant.
No woman shall succeed in Salique land.
Succeed
To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve.
Succeed
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.
Spenser endeavored it in Shepherd's Kalendar; but neither will it succeed in English.
Succeed
To go under cover.
Will you to the cooler cave succeed!
Succeed
Attain success or reach a desired goal;
The enterprise succeeded
We succeeded in getting tickets to the show
She struggled to overcome her handicap and won
Succeed
Be the successor (of);
Carter followed Ford
Will Charles succeed to the throne?
Succeed
To follow after in sequence, time, or order.
Night succeeds day.
Succeed
To achieve the desired aim or result.
With determination, you will succeed.
FAQs
Can succeed refer to inheriting a title?
Yes, succeed can mean inheriting a title or estate.
Does precede always denote superiority or higher rank?
No, it simply means coming before in time, place, or order.
Can precede be used in terms of spatial arrangement?
Yes, precede can refer to something coming before another in place or arrangement.
Can an event succeed another immediately, or is there always a time gap?
An event can succeed another immediately or after a gap, depending on context.
Does succeed imply following in time only?
No, succeed can also imply following in order, sequence, or position.
Can something succeed itself?
Not typically, as succeed implies following another distinct entity or event.
Does succeed always imply successful accomplishment?
No, succeed can simply mean to follow or come after, without any implication of achievement.
Is precede oriented towards past occurrences?
Yes, precede implies a prior occurrence or state.
Can precede imply causation?
Sometimes, as one event can precede and potentially cause another.
Is precede used in formal contexts more often?
Yes, precede is often used in formal and written contexts to describe order.
Can both precede and succeed be used in linguistic terms?
Yes, both terms can be used to describe the arrangement of components in language structures.
Is success the noun form of succeed?
Yes, success is the noun form, denoting the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
Can preceding be used as the adjective form of precede?
Yes, preceding can describe something that came before another.
Is precedence related to the concept of precede?
Yes, precedence denotes the condition of being considered more important than others.
Can the term successor be related to succeed?
Yes, a successor is a person or thing that succeeds another, especially in a job or position.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
