Link Centre Dictionary

prevail

pre·vail

UK/pɹəˈvæɪl/ US/pɹɪˈveɪl/ fairly common

verb

1.

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

  • “Money reigns supreme here”
  • “Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood”
Synonyms
2.

be valid, applicable, or true

  • “This theory still holds”
Synonyms
3.

continue to exist

  • “These stories die hard”
  • “The legend of Elvis endures”
Synonyms
4.

prove superior

  • “The champion prevailed, though it was a hard fight”
Synonyms
5.

use persuasion successfully

  • “He prevailed upon her to visit his parents”

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • cool heads must prevail
  • cool heads prevail
  • cool heads will prevail
  • cooler heads must prevail
  • cooler heads prevail
  • cooler heads will prevail
  • prevail upon
  • saner heads prevail

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.