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prevail - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'prevail' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Prevail [ v. i.]
- To overcome; to gain the victory or superiority; to gain the advantage; to have the upper hand, or the mastery; to succeed; -- sometimes with over or against.
- To be in force; to have effect, power, or influence; to be predominant; to have currency or prevalence; to obtain; as, the practice prevails this day.
- To persuade or induce; -- with on, upon, or with; as, I prevailedon him to wait.

Meaning of 'prevail' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . prevail [ v]
Meaning (1):
- use persuasion successfully
Example in sentence:
  • He prevailed upon her to visit his parents
Meaning (2):
- be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
Example in sentence:
  • Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood;
  • Money reigns supreme here
Meaning (3):
- prove superior
Example in sentence:
  • The champion prevailed, though it was a hard fight
Meaning (4):
- continue to exist
Example in sentence:
  • The legend of Elvis endures;
  • These stories die hard
Meaning (5):
- be valid, applicable, or true
Example in sentence:
  • This theory still holds

Nearby Words:

pre- preaccusation preace preach preached preacher preachership preachify preaching preachman

See 'prevail' also in:

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Related Definitions

  • Prevailing wage
    Prevailing wage is a rate of pay determined by the U.S. Department of Labor based upon the geographic area for a given class of labor and type of project.

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