prevailed; prevailing; prevails
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
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
Yet mutual distrust has at times prevailed, with both sides occasionally accusing one another of failing to uphold their side of security commitments.
—
Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
This, in turn, is because the prevailing ethos in academia reduces the complexities of politics to a crude dichotomy in which everyone who is white is an oppressor of everyone who is not.
—Jay Bergman, Boston Herald, 21 June 2025
And Elgin Baylor scored 41 points in Game 7 in 1962 — another Lakers-Celtics matchup — but Boston prevailed in that one as well.
—Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025
One prevailing issue inhibiting the growth of American manufacturing is the lack of a pipeline for skilled, affordable labor.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prevail
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Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
This, in turn, is because the prevailing ethos in academia reduces the complexities of politics to a crude dichotomy in which everyone who is white is an oppressor of everyone who is not.
—Jay Bergman, Boston Herald, 21 June 2025
And Elgin Baylor scored 41 points in Game 7 in 1962 — another Lakers-Celtics matchup — but Boston prevailed in that one as well.
—Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025
One prevailing issue inhibiting the growth of American manufacturing is the lack of a pipeline for skilled, affordable labor.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prevail
Cite this Entry
“Prevail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prevail. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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