prevail

pre·vail
P3R1E1V4A1I1L1
Canada, US, UK/pɹɪˈveɪl/Australia/pɹɪˈvæɪl/New Zealand/pɹəˈvæɪl/

verb

To be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others.

“I prevailed on him to wait.”

Similar
predominatedominaterulereignholdobtainpersistdie hard
OriginMiddle English prevailen ← Old French prevaler ← Latin praevaleō →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

verbprevail (third-person singular simple present prevails, present participle prevailing, simple past and past participle prevailed)

present singular third person prevails · participle present prevailing · participle past prevailed · past prevailed · alternative obsolete prævail · alternative obsolete prævaile · alternative obsolete prævale

  1. intransitiveTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others.

    Red colour prevails in the Canadian flag.

    3 more examples

    Sunny skies will prevail across the Northeast.

    And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 17:11

    Liverpool created a host of chances and had a Joel Matip goal ruled out for a foul and offside in an incident-packed game that went right down to the wire before Jurgen Klopp's side prevailed.

    2022 February 27, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport
  2. intransitiveTo triumph; to be victorious.

    There are a number of SCPs and tales that look at potential apocalypses, but rarely with such totality as SCP-2935, a parallel dimension in which death prevailed.

    2019 January 14, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-2935 - O, Death” (0:36 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 25 Mar 2023
    1 more example

    Zakharova also made light of Moore’s claims that Russia will not be able to regain momentum in the war after the MI6 chief said he was”optimistic”^([sic]) Ukraine would prevail against the Russian invasion.

    2023 July 19, Nick Paton Walsh and Katharina Krebs, “MI6 chief makes open plea to Russians to spy for UK”, in CNN
  3. intransitiveTo be current, widespread, or predominant; to have currency or prevalence.

    In his day and age, such practices prevailed all over Europe.

  4. intransitiveoftenTo succeed in persuading or inducing.

    I prevailed on him to wait.

    1 more example

    Jones began to be very importunate with the lady to unmask; and at length having prevailed, there appeared not Mrs Fitzpatrick, but the Lady Bellaston herself.

    1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
  5. obsoletetransitiveTo avail.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbbe larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance

Similar
predominatedominaterulereign
Broader
interact

verbbe valid, applicable, or true

Similar
holdobtain
Broader
existbe

verbcontinue to exist

Similar
persistdie hardrunendure
Broader
continue

verbprove superior

Similar
triumph
Broader
win
Also see
abydie harddominateendureexceedgo onholdhold onobtainpersistpredominatereignrulerunstick outtriumph

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinpraevaleō“be very able or more able, be superior, prevail”
  2. Old Frenchprevaler
  3. Middle Englishprevailen
  4. Englishprevail

From Middle English prevailen, from Old French prevaler, from Latin praevaleō (“be very able or more able, be superior, prevail”), from prae (“before”) + valeō (“be able or powerful”). Displaced native Old English rīcsian.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἰσχύω
  • ἰσχύω (iskhúō)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
Arabic يسود
  • يسود (yassod)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
Bulgarian преодолявам, преобладавам
  • преодолявам (preodoljavam)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • преобладавам (preobladavam)To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • уговарям (ugovarjam)To succeed in persuading or inducing
  • убеждавам (ubeždavam)To succeed in persuading or inducing
Czech převládat, převážit
  • převládatTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • převážitTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • převládatTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
Dutch overwinnen, domineren
  • overwinnenTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • dominerenTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • zegevierenTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • overheersenTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • overtuigenTo succeed in persuading or inducing
Finnish taivutella, suostutella
  • taivutellaTo succeed in persuading or inducing
  • suostutellaTo succeed in persuading or inducing
French dominer, prévaloir
  • dominerTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • prévaloirTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • l'emporterTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • prédominerTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • prévaloirTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • persuaderTo succeed in persuading or inducing
German die Vorherrschaft erringen (over über), sich durchsetzen
  • die Vorherrschaft erringen (over über)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • sich durchsetzenTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • dominierenTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • überwiegenTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • obsiegen [jur.]To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • siegen (über)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • vorherrschenTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • maßgebend seinTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • weit verbreitet seinTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • überzeugen könnenTo succeed in persuading or inducing
  • überzeugenTo succeed in persuading or inducing
  • überredenTo succeed in persuading or inducing
Italian prevalere, predominare
  • prevalereTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • predominareTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • persuadereTo succeed in persuading or inducing
Latin pervincō
  • pervincōTo succeed in persuading or inducing
Portuguese prevalecer, predominar
  • prevalecerTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • predominarTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • prevalecerTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • predominarTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
Romanian impune, predomina
  • impuneTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • predominaTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
Russian восторжествовать, одержать победу
  • восторжествовать (vostoržestvovatʹ)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • одержать победу (oderžatʹ pobedu)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • госпо́дствовать (gospódstvovatʹ)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • доминировать (dominirovatʹ)To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • преобладать (preobladatʹ)To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • госпо́дствовать (gospódstvovatʹ)To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • превалировать (prevalirovatʹ)To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • доминировать (dominirovatʹ)To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
  • убеди́ть (ubedítʹ)To succeed in persuading or inducing
  • уговори́ть (ugovorítʹ)To succeed in persuading or inducing
Spanish prevalecer, vencer
  • prevalecerTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • vencerTo be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand
  • prevalecerTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
Swedish förhärska
  • förhärskaTo be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence
Tamil நிலவு
  • நிலவு (nilavu)To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with prevail

emailmailretailscaledetailfailtrailthumbnailtailtaledalejailyalepalegalesailavailbailvalealeGailhalehailvail
All rhymes →

Anagrams

pervial
Cite this entry
APA

prevail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevail

MLA

“prevail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevail. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prevail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevail.

Source: prevail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.