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
The American Dream is a myth that claims that great ambition and hard work will be rewarded, but the American Experience isn’t one in which virtue prevails.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 19 May 2026
However, El Niño does not instigate individual weather systems so much as dial up or down the odds for particular conditions to prevail at a certain time of the year.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
While the center undoubtedly had a long list of deferred maintenance, the prevailing thought among center veterans had been that it could be done in phases and while the complex remained open.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 May 2026
On Monday, OpenAI won a key battle on the road to the public market, prevailing in a lawsuit brought by co-founder Elon Musk over the for-profit status of the company.
—Ian Thomas, CNBC, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prevail
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brent Lang, Variety, 19 May 2026
However, El Niño does not instigate individual weather systems so much as dial up or down the odds for particular conditions to prevail at a certain time of the year.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
While the center undoubtedly had a long list of deferred maintenance, the prevailing thought among center veterans had been that it could be done in phases and while the complex remained open.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 May 2026
On Monday, OpenAI won a key battle on the road to the public market, prevailing in a lawsuit brought by co-founder Elon Musk over the for-profit status of the company.
—Ian Thomas, CNBC, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prevail
Cite this Entry
“Prevail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prevail. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
