prevail
Americanverb (used without object)
-
prevails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prevailed,
past participle, past
-
prevailing
present participle
-
to be widespread or current; exist everywhere or generally.
Silence prevailed along the funeral route.
-
to appear or occur as the more important or frequent feature or element; predominate.
Green tints prevail in the upholstery.
- Synonyms:
- preponderate
-
to be or prove superior in strength, power, or influence (usually followed byover ).
They prevailed over their enemies in the battle.
- Synonyms:
- overcome
- Antonyms:
- lose
-
to succeed; become dominant; win out.
to wish that the right side might prevail.
-
to use persuasion or inducement successfully.
He prevailed upon us to accompany him.
verb
-
to prove superior; gain mastery
skill will prevail
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to be or appear as the most important feature; be prevalent
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to exist widely; be in force
-
to succeed in persuading or inducing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prevailsimple
-
prevailssimple
-
have prevailedperfect
-
has prevailedperfect
-
am prevailingprogressive
-
are prevailingprogressive
-
is prevailingprogressive
-
have been prevailingperfect progressive
-
has been prevailingperfect progressive
Past
-
prevailedsimple
-
had prevailedperfect
-
was prevailingprogressive
-
were prevailingprogressive
-
had been prevailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prevail
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prevayllen “to grow very strong,” from Latin praevalēre “to be more able,” equivalent to prae- “before, in front” + valēre “to be strong”; see pre-, prevalent
Explanation
Prevail means to successfully persuade someone of something. If you were a Presidential advisor and you convinced him to make a National Day of Pet Appreciation, then you prevailed upon him to recognize pets. Prevail can be used for different kinds of success. If you prevail upon someone, you have influence on them. If you prevail over someone, you win. Say you’re a big fan of a losing team. You might cheer, “Despite all odds, we will prevail!” To use prevail, there has to be some kind of contest or conflict. That could be internal, like when you have a pile of homework to do, but your desire to play video games prevails over your discipline.
Vocabulary lists containing prevail
List 1
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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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.
See Examples For:
The moves show how Italy’s biggest banks are playing their cards to prevail in a yearslong wave of dealmaking that is shaking up the sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Chief Justice John Roberts also asked Russell if, should Boulder County prevail before the court, there would be “at least 50” new lawsuits the “next day,” filed by “a municipality in every single state.”
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
It also reflects on how hatred can prevail and how there’s often a tendency to blame others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
As an at-will employee at a private company, Bourguet is unlikely to prevail in a lawsuit challenging his dismissal.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
It was extraordinarily challenging to put a crew on the water that could prevail at both distances.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
"In order to maintain its presence, its foremost mission is to ensure that the government prevails no matter what threats are underway," Ochieng said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Even though the Feeneys have gotten more competitive under the junior Michel’s management, the rascal-on-the-field ethos of the original team still prevails.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Whoever prevails and reaches the final on 20 June will be playing for a new super-sized trophy at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Failure is fatal only when the chisel is abandoned and despair prevails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
It’s a tense moment, with Marge prying and Holly just as rudely stonewalling, but Holly, as team leader, prevails.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Brighton prevailed because they created a game that was unfamiliar and unpredictable.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Also periods when volatility is extremely low and markets are highly correlated, like the conditions that prevailed during the long zero-interest rates era of the 2010s, can pose problems for this kind of investing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The eighth edition of the Sunset Showdown lasted long after the sun went down — about four hours and 10 minutes later — before host Palisades prevailed 56-50 over crosstown rival Brentwood in four overtimes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Ronaldo also prevailed in 2013 after Portugal failed to progress beyond the World Cup play-offs, thanks largely to another remarkable individual season with Real Madrid.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
All I can say is that I prevailed.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
The Nvidia-backed firm said it had made the decision due to "recent market volatility and prevailing market conditions" and that going public would not be in the company or shareholders' best interests.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Conner’s Stars & Stripes wound up prevailing in the defender series, defeating Mighty Mary and Young America to represent the United States.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
But concern is the prevailing mood among the culinary greats gathered in Mexico.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
It was a visual affair designed to project a new phase of managed competition between a prevailing superpower and a rising one — a message that Washington and Beijing are ultimately capable of responsible leadership.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Burnham established defenses that by prevailing standards seemed elaborate, even excessive.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
