pre·vail (pr -v l )intr.v. pre·vailed, pre·vail·ing, pre·vails 1. To be greater in strength or influence; triumph: prevailed against the enemy. 2. To be or become effective; win out: hoped justice would prevail. 3. To be most common or frequent; be predominant: a region where snow and ice prevail. 4. To be in force, use, or effect; be current: an ancient tradition that still prevails. 5. To use persuasion or inducement successfully. Often used with on, upon, or with. See Synonyms at persuade.
[Middle English prevailen, from Old French prevaloir, prevaill-, from Latin praeval re, to be stronger : prae-, pre- + val re, to be strong; see wal- in Indo-European roots.]
pre·vail er n. |
prevail Verb 1. (often foll. by over, against)to prove superior; gain mastery: moderate nationalists have until now prevailed over the radicals 2. to be the most important feature: a casual good-natured mood prevailed 3. to be generally established: this attitude has prevailed for many years 4. prevail on or upon to succeed in persuading: he had easily been prevailed upon to accept a lift [Latin praevalere to be superior in strength]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Verb | 1. | prevail - be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood"override - prevail over; "health considerations override financial concerns" overarch - be central or dominant; "This scene overarches the entire first act" | | 2. | prevail - be valid, applicable, or true; "This theory still holds"exist, be - have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?" | | 3. | prevail - continue to exist; "These stories die hard"; "The legend of Elvis endures"continue - exist over a prolonged period of time; "The bad weather continued for two more weeks" carry over - transfer or persist from one stage or sphere of activity to another run - occur persistently; "Musical talent runs in the family" reverberate - have a long or continuing effect; "The discussions with my teacher reverberated throughout my adult life" | | 4. | prevail - prove superior; "The champion prevailed, though it was a hard fight"win - be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious; "He won the Gold Medal in skating"; "Our home team won"; "Win the game" | | 5. | prevail - use persuasion successfully; "He prevailed upon her to visit his parents"persuade - cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm; "You can't persuade me to buy this ugly vase!" |
prevail prevail on or upon someone persuade, influence, convince, prompt, win over, induce, incline, dispose, sway, talk into, bring round
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