prevailed; prevailing; prevails
1
: to gain ascendancy through strength or superiority : triumph
2
: to be or become effective or effectual
3
: to use persuasion successfully
prevailed on him to sing
4
: to be frequent : predominate
the west winds that prevail in the mountains
5
: to be or continue in use or fashion : persist
a custom that still prevails
Examples of prevail in a Sentence
Mutual respect prevails among students and teachers here.
The house was built in the style that prevailed in the 1980s.
The law still prevails in some states.
Recent Examples on the Web
Cabin upgrades are available at prevailing rates subject to stateroom availability.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
Likewise, present-day carnival celebrations seem—if only to a certain extent—to have rejected the enjoyment-for-enjoyment’s sake attitude that prevailed in the days of Johanna Schopenhauer.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
Those factors are the same ones the Department of Labor uses to determine prevailing wage levels.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Ubiquitous at public events in his district, Hwang had prevailed as the country trended Democratic.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prevail
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
Likewise, present-day carnival celebrations seem—if only to a certain extent—to have rejected the enjoyment-for-enjoyment’s sake attitude that prevailed in the days of Johanna Schopenhauer.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
Those factors are the same ones the Department of Labor uses to determine prevailing wage levels.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Ubiquitous at public events in his district, Hwang had prevailed as the country trended Democratic.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prevail
Cite this Entry
“Prevail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prevail. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prevail
verb
pre·vail
pri-ˈvā(ə)l 
1
: to win against opposition : be successful
our team prevailed
truth will prevail over error
believed injustice should not prevail
2
: to urge successfully
prevailed upon me to play a few tunes
3
a
: to be frequent
the storms that prevail there in winter
b
: to be or continue to be in use or fashion
lower rates prevail in the evening
customs that still prevail
Legal Definition
prevail
intransitive verb
pre·vail
pri-ˈvāl
1
: to obtain substantially the relief or action sought in a lawsuit
2
: to be frequent or predominant
the prevailing rate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
