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
-
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
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:
"But a case like Jacqui and Olivia's is almost exemplary of the systemic rot and failings that prevail throughout the entire system."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
It also reflects on how hatred can prevail and how there’s often a tendency to blame others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
As an at-will employee at a private company, Bourguet is unlikely to prevail in a lawsuit challenging his dismissal.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
If history repeats itself, better sense will eventually prevail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“It is clear that all the courage in the world cannot prevail against gunfire,” said a young French captain named Charles de Gaulle, who later became president of France.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
"In order to maintain its presence, its foremost mission is to ensure that the government prevails no matter what threats are underway," Ochieng said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
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
But after late substitutions, the men are able to return to the fray just in time, and Odysseus prevails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 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
In public health projects in difficult locales, theory often prevails over practice.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
He was one of the first Warner executives that Ellison met with this year after Paramount prevailed over Netflix in the bidding war for Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
It turns out that if 2007 rental conditions prevailed today, parental living would be 1.5% lower for women and 2.1% lower for men.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Not long after 10, his security detail prevailed and whisked him away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Ronaldo also prevailed in 2013 after Portugal failed to progress beyond the World Cup play-offs, thanks largely to another remarkable individual season with Real Madrid.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
“Well, it appears that logic has prevailed yet again,” he said.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
But 30-year Treasurys issued at the sub-2% yields prevailing in 2020 change hands today for less than 45 cents on the dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Hilton has been campaigning hard, as though he has more than the merest speck of a chance of pulling an epic upset and somehow prevailing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
In 2027, about 6% of all outstanding ARMs will reset to prevailing rates, per ICE.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Backpack has won the annual Fat Bear Week competition after prevailing in what the US National Park Service called a "battle of size, skill, snack acquisition and strategic loafing".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
For thousands of years after corn was domesticated in Mexico, it failed to spread northward into eastern North America, because of the cooler climates and shorter growing season prevailing there.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
