pervade

American  

[per-veyd] / pərˈveɪd /

verb (used with object)

pervaded, pervading

1. to become spread throughout all parts of.

   Spring pervaded the air.

   Synonyms:

   fill, diffuse

---

pervade British  

/ pɜːˈveɪʒən, pɜːˈveɪd /

verb

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

---

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of pervade

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

Example Sentences

“I couldn’t find the knowledge I needed to dispel this sense of unease that was pervading my body,” Cobb told the Edmonton Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal

Deep fear has long pervaded the arid savannah plains and highlands of north-western Nigeria - even before the US air strikes on the Islamist militants who have made this area their base on Christmas night.

From BBC

Taboos about mental illness pervade every culture, and research shows that Asian American families are the least likely among all racial groups to use mental health services.

From Los Angeles Times

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

The smell of fresh leather goods pervades the air.

From BBC

Related Words

• infuse
• penetrate
• permeate
• suffuse