as in to satisfy
to cause (someone) to agree with a belief or course of action by using arguments or earnest requests
we prevailed on him to sing in front of all his friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevail (on or upon)
Verb
-
The judges also questioned Texas Solicitor General William Peterson over his arguments that the House is prevented from using proxy voting under the quorum clause, questioning if physical presence is needed to satisfy that requirement.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
12 May 2026 -
Watering every couple of weeks will satisfy this fragrant perennial.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Influencers have become a routine part of persuading voters in local, state and national races as legacy media’s reach has waned, though there are few laws on the books regulating them.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
-
Neither leader elaborated on what persuaded them about the possibility of peace in Europe’s longest conflict since World War II.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Proctor, who had worked at the VA years earlier, tried to convince her husband to seek help as the bills piled up.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Doug is convinced the compliments were the perfect medicine.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Mercury enters Gemini in your 5th House of Creativity, bringing fresh language, playful ideas, and more courage around self expression.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
-
The holiday weekend brought even more people into the city.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The area North Cornwall has plenty of fancy restaurants, but Prawn on the Lawn in Padstow gets the balance right between sophisticated seafood and laidback service.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Prevail (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevail%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
