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
-
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
- 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.
Football, conversely, is a very physical game requiring mega rosters and resources and there comes a point where a bigger, stronger team is almost always going to turn bigger and stronger and prevail.
And if Netflix prevails, it could mean shorter periods of exclusivity before movies are sent to streaming platforms, though both Paramount and Netflix have said they wouldn’t take this approach.
Germany was still "a country where we show unconditional solidarity -- especially when injustice prevails -- standing shoulder to shoulder wherever violence erupts", he added.
From Barron's
The advice for drivers is familiar: prepare for delays, allow extra time for journeys and adjust your speed to the prevailing weather conditions.
From BBC
In these scenarios, it’s reassuring to know that good prevails over evil or at least that the right guys triumph over whichever former Soviet republic or local militia is wreaking havoc.
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.
