prevailed

verb

past tense of prevail
1
as in won
to achieve victory (as in a contest) we shall prevail despite the overwhelming odds

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in survived
to continue to operate or to meet one's needs a custom that still prevails in many areas of Africa

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of prevailed While the British prevailed over the rebels, the uprising laid the foundations for African nationalism. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 The skirt prevailed as one of the defining pieces of spring ‘27. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 Such crudely geometric thinking prevailed because the unfamiliar land seemed unmarked by history. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Common sense prevailed at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, as the club announced that Cam Schlittler will start Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox on Tuesday. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026 An uneasy calm prevailed along the border Friday, with no new fighting reported. — Munir Ahmed, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026 Now that Paramount Skydance has prevailed in its bid to take over CNN’s parent, there is certain to be new scrutiny on what elements of CNN’s current business plan new managers wish to keep. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026 Lyonnes prevailed 8-0 in their Women’s Champions League openers on Wednesday. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 Bishop Amat made JSerra pull out every trick before the Lions prevailed 37-28 behind quarterback Hayes Cloutier. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevailed
  1. won
  2. survived
  3. triumphed
  4. lasted
  5. persisted
Verb
  • Yann LeCun won the 2018 Turing Award—computer science’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize—along with fellow AI researchers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio for their work on deep learning, the neural network technology that underpins today’s AI boom.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Under Kreiz, Mattel also has won new or renewed entertainment licenses, including Disney Princess and Frozen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Toy Story, KPop Demon Hunters and DC.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of won
Verb
  • The award is named after Justice Albie Sachs, a hero of the anti-apartheid movement who survived imprisonment, exile and an assassination attempt in the fight for equality in South Africa.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Fiona is survived by her father, Chad, her mother, Kim and her sisters, Mabel and Nixie.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of survived
Verb
  • The luncheon is designed to celebrate individuals who have triumphed over addiction.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Roger Federer at the 2017 Australian Open After a nearly five-year Grand Slam drought and a right knee injury, Federer triumphed at the 2017 Australian Open at 35 years and 5 months old.
    — Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of triumphed
Verb
  • According to Friday’s filing, the execution process lasted longer than two hours.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The expansion of Enterococcus bacteria lasted about eight days after antibiotic treatment.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of lasted
Verb
  • Within a week, a majority of those in the treatment group had a 50% reduction in their symptoms and the effects persisted throughout the six-week follow-up period.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Only the school’s investigation, under the federal Title IX law, persisted, with a goal of deciding discipline for the students involved.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of persisted

Browse Nearby Words

prevail
prevailed
prevailed (on or upon)
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Cite this Entry

“Prevailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevailed. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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