prevail Definition
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 Idioms
prevail on
or prevail upon or prevail withto persuade; induce
prevail Synonyms
prevail Usage Examples
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
- ‹ prev.
- ‹ pretzel
- ‹ Pretty Good Privacy
- ‹ pretty
- ‹ prettily
- ‹ prettify
- ‹ pretrial
- ‹ Pretoria
- ‹ pretor
- ‹ pretexting
- prevail upon ›
- prevailing ›
- prevailing party ›
- prevalence ›
- prevalent ›
- prevaricate ›
- prevarication ›
- prevaricator ›
- prevenient ›
- prevent ›

