pervade

American  

[per-veyd] / pərˈveɪd /

verb (used with object)

• pervades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pervaded,
  past participle,  past
• pervading
  present participle

1. to become spread throughout all parts of.

   Spring pervaded the air.

   Synonyms:

   fill, diffuse

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pervade British  

/ pɜːˈveɪʒən, pɜːˈveɪd /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pervader
  noun
• pervadingness
  noun
• pervasion
  noun
• interpervade
  verb (used with object)
• pervasive
  adjective
• unpervaded
  adjective
• unpervading
  adjective
• pervadingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• pervading
  present
• pervaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pervade
  simple
• pervades
  simple
• have pervaded
  perfect
• has pervaded
  perfect
• am pervading
  progressive
• are pervading
  progressive
• is pervading
  progressive
• have been pervading
  perfect progressive
• has been pervading
  perfect progressive

Past

• pervaded
  simple
• had pervaded
  perfect
• was pervading
  progressive
• were pervading
  progressive
• had been pervading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pervade
  simple
• will have pervaded
  perfect
• will be pervading
  progressive
• will have been pervading
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pervade pervades pervaded pervading

Its technologies not only pervade the modern world; they buttress the global economy.

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

Guinea grass, molasses grass and buffelgrass, nonnative plants brought in for cattle grazing, now pervade the pasturelands and the former plantation fields — and were among the 18 invasive species identified by the U.S.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2023

Speaking to the BBC on a break from work, she says images of bodies in Maui pervade her social media feeds.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2023

But these were phenomena of the pre-industrial era, before the flowering of the industries whose products were to pervade the environment of almost every living thing.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Hegel was a metaphysician whose insistence that Geist, or spirit, pervades the historical process and moves it to some grand culmination is difficult to distinguish from New Age mysticism, and hence charlatanism.

From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026

“In the culture of fear that pervades the PLA, these new appointees may not give Xi the frank advice he needs,” Wuthnow said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

Such skittishness pervades every step of the off-site development process, said Apoorva Pasricha, chief operation officer at Cloud Apartments, a San Francisco-based start-up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

But the Telegraph Neil McCormick awarded four stars, noting: "The overwhelming emotional mood is relief. It pervades the songs, a self-soothing blanket of gratitude that she has been rescued from solitude."

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025

In fact the whole tendency to dualism that pervades human thinking may be found to be lessened, or changed, on Winter.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Already in Algiers ahead of the historic visit, the atmosphere of an imminent celebration pervaded the air, with walls repainted, roads repaved and green spaces adorned with plants and flowerpots.

From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026

A similar style pervaded the June 14 “No Kings” nationwide protests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

But a far stronger feeling pervaded fields such as this one: That for now, as in the past, one simply had to work because everything counted on it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025

Gallows humour pervaded in the stands prior to United's final Premier League game of a dismal 2024-25 campaign against Aston Villa - especially when talk turned to their prospects for next year.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2025

And with few exceptions, those who worked in the lab recalled their time there as “magical years” pervaded with “enthusiasm and zeal for accomplishment,” in Kamen’s words.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

“AI is pervading and impacting every sector,” said Chintalapalli.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Sokoloff said the previous budget crisis — the city recently faced a nearly $1-billion deficit — will be the pervading issue in the coming years.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

In retrospect, its uncompromising litmus tests and chilly demeanor were real weaknesses, creating a pervading fear that any false step could expel one from good graces, and that a return trip was always, always treacherous.

From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026

Like “Bridgerton,” our “Heated Rivalry” obsession is related to a hollow longing for connection pervading society right now.

From Salon ● Mar. 4, 2026

He felt their presence all about the house, pervading the air with the shades and echoes of still vibrant emotions.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Related Words

• infuse
• penetrate
• permeate
• suffuse