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:
Skowronska-Krawczyk says uncertainty surrounding federal research funding has created concerns about future support for this type of work, but she remains confident that "we will prevail."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
“It’s unclear which scenario will prevail, but we maintain cautious optimism. Why? Because going ahead with tariffs would exact a toll on both sides.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
While Judge Biedscheid's order only demands Meta make changes in New Mexico, should the 30 states prevail in their separate lawsuit against Meta, it would almost certainly need to enact platform changes across the US.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The proposal includes potentially selling the 65-acre Paramount lot in Hollywood — as well as the larger Warner Bros. campus in Burbank, should Paramount prevail in the merger battle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
He wasn’t letting evil prevail by watching and doing nothing.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Feyenoord's general manager Robert Eenhoorn said he "cannot be happy" with their 5-2 victory in Leeuwarden, adding "frustration prevails too much for that".
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
They said he faced an “unrecoverable loss” since the money likely couldn’t be recouped even if he eventually prevails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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
“If justice prevails, would experiencing Alan’s prejudice have been worth it?”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
But in my 2026 book, “Strikingly Similar,” I explore how, throughout the medieval period, the Renaissance and into the early modern era, an ethos of “imitatio” prevailed.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Looking ahead: “The labor market is stuck in the low-hire, low-fire environment that’s prevailed since last year,” said economist Sneha Puri of the Indeed job-search site.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Still, Pelosi prevailed, by less than 4,000 votes out of nearly 108,000 cast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
This understanding prevailed in the convention, and it pervaded the Founders’ thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Walter was friendly with a family that lived nearby, and we prevailed upon them to take us in for the night.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Like Homer’s epic, it describes a journey affected by prevailing Mediterranean winds, called here by their local names: Levante, Ponente, Scirocco, Mistral.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The bill only applies to specific developments, including those that are proposed on an graded infill site and those that pay construction workers a prevailing wage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Researchers say the finding points to a surprising mechanism and challenges the prevailing idea that chronic viral reactivation occurs mainly because of immunosuppression.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Flock Safety embodies the dishonesty that has been the prevailing theme of tech corporate communications and marketing for at least the past decade.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Francis Poulenc neatly summed up the prevailing French ambivalence towards Wagner by saying that, after listening to him, it was necessary to cleanse one’s spirit and ears by listening to Mozart.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
