Synonyms

pervade

American

[per-veyd] / pərˈveɪd /

verb (used with object)

to become spread throughout all parts of.

Spring pervaded the air.

Synonyms:

fill, diffuse

pervade British

/ pɜːˈveɪʒən, pɜːˈveɪd /

verb

(tr) to spread through or throughout, esp subtly or gradually; permeate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of pervade

1645–55; < Latin pervādere to pass through, equivalent to per- per- + vādere to go, walk

Explanation

To pervade means to be present throughout, to exist in every part of. If you have too many cats, the horrible smell of cat pee will pervade your house. You can use pervade both for external things like smells and sickness, and for more internal things like feelings. For instance, you can say that a feeling of doom pervaded the army as they caught sight of the opposition’s superior forces. Despite efforts to prevent bullying, peer pressure and clique mentalities pervade the school environment.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Pervade my being with Thy vital force, That this else inexpressive life of mine May become eloquent and full of power, Impregnated with life and strength divine.

From Quiet Talks on Service by Gordon, S. D. (Samuel Dickey)

Ah, render sere no silken bent That by her head-stone waves; Let noon and golden summer blent Pervade these ocean graves.

From The Home Book of Verse — Volume 2 by Stevenson, Burton Egbert

No; peacock-posing and complacent smile Pervade the common air, and take the town.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 102, April 23, 1892 by Various

Pervade, per-vād′, v.t. to go through or penetrate: to spread all over.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023