as in persuades
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 prevails (on or upon)
Verb
-
The poet titillates, commands by images—and only thus persuades.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025 -
Cherry persuades Harriet to publicly expose Laura, to talk to journalists and manufacture a viral story.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement With Lee Heon away, Jesan convinces Queen Ja-hyeon (Shin Eun-jung), Heon’s stepmother, to support her young son’s ascent to the throne.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
-
But over the course of the season, Ned convinces his team of misfits that actual reporting is the way to success — leading eventually to three nominations at the local journalism awards.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Waukesha County cheers key step in the process For Waukesha County, Boardman's statement satisfies officials' hope that state transportation leaders are at least acknowledging the importance of I-94 locally and are following the steps necessary to make a project happen at some point.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
As part of a plea agreement, prosecution was deferred on an additional charge for menacing so long as White commits no new violations over the next two years and satisfies a number of conditions, including issuing a public apology to the victim, Adam Weatherford.—
Josh Wood,
Louisville Courier Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Which brings us to what the British press described as the biggest celebrity break-up since Charles and Diana.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Just use what feels right—what brings you joy.—
Mark Hay,
Popular Science,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tablet Deals The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ gets a lot right (even more so with this discount).—
Jade Chung-Lee,
PC Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Sweet almond, cucumber, rice bran, broccoli, and rose hip oils work together to give your skin the radiant glow of someone who gets their daily servings of veggies.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
8 Oct. 2025
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
“Prevails (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevails%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share