prevail
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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
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to succeed; become dominant; win out.
to wish that the right side might prevail.
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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
-
to exist widely; be in force
-
to succeed in persuading or inducing
Other Word Forms
- prevailer noun
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”; pre-, prevalent
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.
Jo Malone, the perfume designer, said she hopes "sense will prevail" in a case against her and retailer Zara by Estée Lauder, the beauty giant, over the use of her name.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
That is the federal-funds rate considered to be neither stimulative nor restrictive — what would prevail if the economy were at full employment but not overheated, with inflation stable.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
Violence can’t replace dialogue, nor can force prevail over diplomacy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Levi Mikula, 35, a media assistant from Dallas, said he would prefer Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, even as he acknowledged that Rubio was more likely to prevail.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
It would prevail for fourteen years, until Rutherford laid it to rest.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
