to be widespread or current; exist everywhere or generally: Silence prevailed along the funeral route.
to appear or occur as the more important or frequent feature or element; predominate: Green tints prevail in the upholstery.
to be or prove superior in strength, power, or influence (usually followed by over): They prevailed over their enemies in the battle.
to succeed; become dominant; win out: to wish that the right side might prevail.
to use persuasion or inducement successfully: He prevailed upon us to accompany him.
Origin of prevail
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prevayllen “to grow very strong,” from Latin praevalēre “to be more able,” equivalent to prae- “before, in front” + valēre “to be strong”; see pre-, prevalent
SYNONYMS FOR prevail
2 preponderate.
3 overcome.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR prevail ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR prevail
3 lose.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR prevail ON THESAURUS.COM
historical usage of prevail
English prevail comes from the Middle French verb prévaloir, prévaler “to have the advantage, dominate” and Latin praevalēre “to have superior force, weight, or influence, to have the upper hand.” Praevalēre is a compound verb formed from the prefix prae- meaning “before, in front, preeminent” (as here) and valēre “to be powerful, be strong, be strong enough.” Nearly all of the Middle English spelling variants of Modern English prevail, e.g., prevailen, prevaile, provaile, have their -ai- spelling not from prévaloir, but from Middle English availen “to be of use or advantage” (Modern English avail ).
Delaware Republicans backed Jim DeMartino, an attorney, but Witzke prevailed.
Trump, in town hall, says he wouldn’t have done anything differently on pandemic|Colby Itkowitz, Josh Dawsey, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Vince was curious whether that strategy would prevail or instead a strategy that targeted more castles would win the day.
Can You Reach The Summit First?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Additionally, implement your prevailing local SEO strategy along with targeting how users are phrasing their queries.
Voice search SEO guide: Trends and best practices|Ricky Wang|September 2, 2020|Search Engine Watch
They prevailed against Houston’s Phi Slama Jama in 1984 and were within 5 points of winning all three, if it weren’t for historic shooting from eighth-seeded Villanova in 1985 and a shot from some guy named Michael Jordan in 1982.
John Thompson’s Unapologetic Blackness Changed College Basketball|Santul Nerkar|September 1, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
It’s hard to say what will prevail in the long run because the evidence points to the fact that this is working to rank sites.
Guide: How to structure a local SEO strategy for your business|Christian Carere|August 6, 2020|Search Engine Watch
As McCain so eloquently stated Monday, we must not “risk our national honor to prevail in this or any war.”
Why the Muslim World Isn’t Flipping Out Over the CIA Torture Report|Dean Obeidallah|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These fanatical groups wish to create fundamentalist enclaves in which some version of Sharia law will prevail.
Can We Lose the Violent Muslim Cliché?|Jay Parini|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then, a Perry campaign has to prevail in the general election.
Rick Perry: America’s Next Top Strategist?|James Poulos|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Singer, a formidable Hollywood legal pugilist, said ultimately that “we [he and Travolta] will prevail in this action.”
Dear John, It Gets Better: A Letter to Travolta|Tim Teeman|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The natural American impulse is to search for solutions, for policies that can prevail against these upheavals.
Here’s What the U.S. Has to Do to Deal With the Mad Middle East|Leslie H. Gelb|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was determined that nothing should prevail upon her to let him out of her sight that night.
Barchester Towers|Anthony Trollope
If a woman gives birth to a form of some kind, king against king,—his rival, will prevail.
Babylonian-Assyrian Birth-Omens and Their Cultural Significance|Morris Jastrow
If each officer can carry conviction to the understanding of one member of Congress, the measure will prevail.
The Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Volume I (of 2)|Hazard Stevens
But shall she not prevail, And sway you, as she oft hath done before?Gent.
Beaumont & Fletcher's Works (8 of 10)|Francis Beaumont
Midday was at hand, and confusion continued to prevail among the fugitives.
Annals of a Fortress|E. Viollet-le-Duc
British Dictionary definitions for prevail
prevail
/ (prɪˈveɪl) /
verb(intr)
(often foll by over or against) to prove superior; gain masteryskill will prevail
to be or appear as the most important feature; be prevalent
to exist widely; be in force
(often foll by on or upon) to succeed in persuading or inducing
Derived forms of prevail
prevailer, noun
Word Origin for prevail
C14: from Latin praevalēre to be superior in strength, from prae beyond + valēre to be strong