prevail on

Idioms  

1. Successfully persuade or influence, as in They prevailed on me to speak at their annual luncheon. This term uses prevail in the sense of “exert superior force.” It replaced prevail with in the mid-1600s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prevail on

Cook has denied the mortgage fraud allegations and in its Monday verdict the Supreme Court said the government was "unlikely" to prevail on appeal in its attempts to remove the Fed governor.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

Celtic took full advantage of that first defeat in 32 games, hammering five goals past St Mirren in Paisley to prevail on goal difference.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

The church could very well prevail on the narrow claim that “Mormon Stories” has violated its intellectual property rights.

From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026

This suggested the Justices believed the Administration was likely to prevail on the legal merits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

If we could prevail on Macro to think of building a boat, instead of amassing treasure-trove, we might at all events try it.

From Maid of the Mist by Oxenham, John

Related Words

• prevail upon