prevail

verb

pre·​vail pri-ˈvāl 

prevailed; prevailing; prevails

intransitive verb

1

: to gain ascendancy through strength or superiority : triumph

2

: to be or become effective or effectual

3

: to use persuasion successfully

prevailed on him to sing

4

: to be frequent : predominate

the west winds that prevail in the mountains

5

: to be or continue in use or fashion : persist

a custom that still prevails

Synonyms

• conquer
• triumph
• win

Examples of prevail in a Sentence

Mutual respect prevails among students and teachers here.

The house was built in the style that prevailed in the 1980s.

The law still prevails in some states.

Recent Examples on the Web

The song is the prevailing single to come out of the beef between Lamar and Drake. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 15 July 2024

East-West need two diamonds and a heart trick to prevail. —Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 15 July 2024

While there are innumerable ways to get a film made independently, the prevailing wisdom when financing an indie feature is to attach an A-list star. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 July 2024

But just reaching a 50-50 split would require two of Democrats’ most endangered incumbents, Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, to prevail in states Trump won decisively last time. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin praevalēre, from prae- pre- + valēre to be strong — more at wield

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing prevail

• cooler heads prevail
• prevail on/upon

Kids Definition

prevail

verb

pre·​vail pri-ˈvā(ə)l 

1

: to win against opposition : be successful

our team prevailed

truth will prevail over error

believed injustice should not prevail

2

: to urge successfully

prevailed upon me to play a few tunes

3

a

: to be frequent

the storms that prevail there in winter

b

: to be or continue to be in use or fashion

lower rates prevail in the evening

customs that still prevail

Legal Definition

prevail

intransitive verb

pre·​vail pri-ˈvāl 

1

: to obtain substantially the relief or action sought in a lawsuit

2

: to be frequent or predominant

the prevailing rate