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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevails (on or upon)
Verb
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The entity warns a sleepwalking Donnie that the world will end in approximately 28 days and subsequently persuades him to carry out an escalating series of crimes in his community.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026 -
In an underdeveloped twist, Clark persuades his skeptical assistant, Kat (Lukita Maxwell), and her more gullible boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett), to enter the Backrooms with him, armed with Bobby’s camcorder.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The next day, Oreana convinces Carter to skip school and drink beer with her in the bed of her Ford Bronco.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Urging Sylvie to clean up the place so it can be sold, Celine, a half-owner, convinces her to hire an assistant, Adam (Adam Bessa), for the heavy lifting.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Current production satisfies less than one percent of global demand.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
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The danger is that, in a bid to create a single over-arching platform, Apple creates a product that satisfies neither camp.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Each year brings new twists to the ballet.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
11 Dec. 2025
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Events like this matter, the Lawrences say, because military life brings a unique set of pressures for kids — from parents deploying to constant relocations.—
Greg Hanlon,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Barely 20 minutes into the game, the crowd suddenly gets quiet as people hold their breaths in anticipation.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
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And the referee, who gets it together in time to brandish a yellow card.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The month of December typically brings around 2 to 3 inches of rain to the region, on average, records show.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
23 Dec. 2025
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But this brings around the third way that Israel’s war-making seems currently unjust.—
Ross Douthat,
Mercury News,
31 July 2025
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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 18 Jun. 2026.
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