prevail

pre·vail (prē vāl′, pri-)

intransitive verb

to gain the advantage or mastery; be victorious; triumph: often with over or against
to produce or achieve the desired effect; be effective; succeed
to be or become stronger or more widespread; predominate
to exist widely; be prevalent

Etymology: ME prevaylen < L praevalere < prae-, before (see pre-) + valere, to be strong: see value

prevail on

or prevail upon or prevail with

to persuade; induce

Object

orthodoxy: We need to break the prevailing orthodoxy that the only future for those who don't own their own homes is social housing.
wind: Place out of prevailing winds in a warm spot.
westerly: Then they would follow the American coast northwards and return to Europe on the more northern prevailing westerlies to complete the trip.
mood: Pattern motifs can have a symbolic meaning or catch the prevailing mood of a particular period in time.
norm: Architecture there is about ' accommodation ' , not ' transgression ' of prevailing norms.
attitude: Debate inevitably moved to issues such as low income and inequality, or prevailing attitudes to disabilities.

Preposition: at

time: The military worth of the target would need to be considered in relation to the circumstances prevailing at the time.

Preposition: throughout

hardship: The ancient Celts used the symbols of the Claddagh to show that marriage is a partnership where love prevails throughout any hardship.

Modifying Another Word

ultimately: This was the point of view that ultimately prevailed.
everywhere: Stuff like this doesn't help the " me too " victim mentality that prevails pretty much everywhere at the moment.
eventually: Despite losing the second game, Gaultier eventually prevailed in 43 minutes.
generally: This configuration generally prevailed from the earliest origins of the wagon bodystyle in the 1920s through the 1940s.
still: Curious wedding customs still prevail in Wales, especially in the western counties.

Followed by an intransitive particle

upon: Even the Mayor of Durham, splendid in his chain of office, was prevailed upon to join the dance.
over: You prevail over in a row help reset your excitement of both.

Followed by a transitive particle

over: One possible answer is that the banks allowed their own, commercial, interests to prevail over those of their Jewish clients.

Used with why or when

when: Strictly it is about how to survive and reproduce, in the conditions that prevailed when previous generations were alive.
where: We have to try to prevail where we can.
which: In the arrangement of leaves upon the stem, a law of proportion prevails which is of a very striking character.

Preposition: in

quarter: Thus in the ninth century a healthy activity prevailed in many quarters, directed toward the securing of a sound text of the Bible.

Browse dictionary entries near prevail