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

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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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Vocabulary lists containing pervade

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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.

Bell Labs, the legendary research-and-development organization, created foundational innovations like transistors that pervade the modern world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

But with “Young Mothers,” the filmmakers pare back the desperate stakes that often pervade their movies.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

As 10-minute online deliveries by "quick commerce" apps like Zomato, BlinkIt and Zepto pervade urban India, hundreds of thousands of neighbourhood stores across cities have closed down.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, the concepts of individualism and self-sufficiency began to pervade U.S. culture and politics.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2025

Medical men and even the general public were becoming aware that the human environment was inhabited by an enormous number of microorganisms capable of causing disease, just as today carcinogens pervade our surroundings.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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