prevailpre‧vail /prɪˈveɪl/ ●○○ verb [intransitive] formal 
the economic conditions which prevail in England and Wales I admired the creativity which prevailed among the young writers.2if a person, idea, or principle prevails in a fight, argument etc, they are successful in the end: Justice will prevail.common sense prevails/reason prevails (=a sensible decision is made) He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed.prevail over/against Your inner strength will enable you to prevail over life’s obstacles.prevail on/upon somebody phrasal verb formal to persuade someoneprevail on/upon somebody to do something She prevailed upon her father to say nothing.
WORD ORIGINprevail
Origin:
1300-1400 Latin praevalere, from valere ‘to be strong’VERB TABLE
prevail
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | prevail |
| he, she, it | prevails | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | prevailed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have prevailed |
| he, she, it | has prevailed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had prevailed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will prevail |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have prevailed |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Fortunately, in this case, common sense has prevailed.
- If they prevail in court, they could receive up to $100,000.
- She seems to think that animal rights should prevail over everything else.
- Baby, baby, who's got the baby might be the prevailing motif in this work that entertains and intrigues simultaneously.
- But Clinton would sign the Kennedy-Kassebaum version, which is thus likely to prevail in the end.
- But it has been further seen that strong justification is needed for adopting a system at variance with prevailing medical views.
- His weaknesses were exposed by his Republican rivals in the primaries, but he prevailed because their weaknesses were even worse.
- In every case the draftsman should consider whether the plan is to prevail over the verbal description or viceversa.
- It is doubtful that Stilwell could have prevailed even if he had managed a better performance.
Longman Language Activatorto win an argument, fight, war, etc
to argue, fight etc more successfully than someone else: · The court case has been dragging on for months, and it's increasingly unlikely that she'll win.· I could never win an argument with my father.· Who won the first Civil War?win a victory: · This was the first of many victories won by women's rights campaigners.
informal to win something, especially something that other people are judging or deciding: · In a survey of customer preference, one model came consistently out on top.· In all action movies, the hero always comes out on top.
formal if an idea or way of doing something prevails , it is finally accepted as being better or more important than something else, especially after a lot of arguing: · Fortunately, in this case, common sense has prevailed.prevail over: · She seems to think that animal rights should prevail over everything else.
British to win by persuading people to accept a plan, proposal, or idea, especially after a lot of talking and arguing: · Anti-gun campaigners feel they have enough support to carry the day in tomorrow's vote.· His appeal to reason and common sense was what finally carried the day.
British to finally win an argument or political struggle, especially when this has been difficult - used especially in news reports: · On this occasion the strikers won the day and were given a pay increase of 20%.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
1if a belief, custom, situation etc prevails, it exists among a group of people at a certain timeprevail in/among etc (=a sensible decision is made) He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed. (=is strong enough to make you do the sensible thing)· Eventually common sense prevailed and they reached an agreement.
(=optimism is the strongest feeling)· Despite the crisis, optimism prevailed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· At the lowest level of local government, however, a certain uniformity had always prevailed.· But conventional wisdom does not always prevail in politics.· Or were these superficial appearances, against which Socialist solidarity would always prevail?
· In the interventionist state the executive is likely to prevail over the legislature.· In so far as the idea of emancipation moved forward in government circles in 1856, the landless variety prevailed over the landed.· This system prevailed over a colony whose territorial boundaries were not determined by the pre-colonial boundaries recognised by the indigenous populations.· Despite the Bougainville crisis a general optimism prevailed over the long-term prospects for the mineral sector.· By 1900 his radicalism had prevailed over his loyalty to his employer.· They must be related to the conditions prevailing over several preceding days.· In every case the draftsman should consider whether the plan is to prevail over the verbal description or viceversa.
· The report did not call for positive discrimination but suggested that male, old-school attitudes still prevailed in hospitals.· At that time Freudianizm still prevailed, and Freudian theory was holy writ.· I find this attitude hard to understand but it still prevails today.· And that economic ancien regime still prevails in many parts of the world that are trying to go beyond it.· That pleasing equilibrium between man, raffia, mud or whatever, does of course still prevail in various parts of the world.· The culture of short-term perspectives still prevails.
· Although they can be prevailed upon to interbreed in captivity, they never do so in the wild.· Fernando Iturbe was next prevailed upon by Herrera to take up the problem of balancing the budget.
NOUN· No alcohol was served but an atmosphere of uninhibited enjoyment prevailed.· A pastoral atmosphere prevailed, despite the looming brick of the three-storey structure with its adjoining chapel and outlying houses.· Mr Ratner, who is 41, quickly got rid of the snobby atmosphere which prevails in most independent jewellery stores.· Apart from on Tuesdays, every effort was made by senior staff to ensure that an unfettered atmosphere prevailed.
· In other cases, circumstances of national moment prevailed.· Only a very stubborn man could have believed that reason would prevail in a case such as this one.
· But Clinton would sign the Kennedy-Kassebaum version, which is thus likely to prevail in the end.· And I knew that for some reason I wanted the positive side to prevail at the end.
· If this is not done, Gresham's law may well prevail: bad graphs will drive out the good.· They recognize that no laws can prevail against the dissolution of the social connections and personal motivations that sustain a civilized polity.
· International trade was to be encouraged by member countries maintaining par values for their currencies so that stable rates of exchange would prevail.
· The venomous exchanges between deputies from the two republics in the Kremlin yesterday offered little hope that reason would prevail.· Only a very stubborn man could have believed that reason would prevail in a case such as this one.· Neither experts nor ordinary people understand why humanitarian reasons should prevail over elementary justice.· Eventually reason will prevail, but only after the determining structures have developed.
· Within families, villages and larger social groupings a sense of solidarity prevailed.· His sense of personal loyalty prevailed.· Certainly, he has a better sense of the prevailing trends than before.
· Nor is it possible to return to the situation in which terror prevailed.· The market supply and demand situation prevailing when economic profits become zero will determine the total amount of X produced.· That situation prevails in states throughout the nation.
· But it has been further seen that strong justification is needed for adopting a system at variance with prevailing medical views.· This system prevailed over a colony whose territorial boundaries were not determined by the pre-colonial boundaries recognised by the indigenous populations.· The other major system of political economy prevailing in the world today is socialism.· By necessity changes will take many years to enact a, id consequently the present system will prevail for some time.· As in Kursk guberniia, the classical three-field system prevailed, but there was more variety.· But a different system had prevailed at Wyvis Hall, or rather no system had prevailed at all.
· Molly Sheavyn was the only deaf member, and her views predictably did not prevail.· Her point of view had prevailed.· Since then a more balanced view has prevailed in which currents and waves are seen to act together.· It is interesting to speculate what the consequences would have been for the curriculum if his view had prevailed.· Eventually Teclis's view prevailed and the Colleges of Magic were established.· Only Nikias mentions their specific brief from the People to proceed against Selinus, and his views do not prevail.· For entirely practical reasons, Mr Adamec's view ought to prevail.· Which of these views prevails today?
VERB· No democratic Government or society can allow such people to prevail.· If this attitude is allowed to prevail there will be no room for different rates of development in our children.
· If this life-blind model continues to prevail, it will impose a slow-motion catastrophe on humanity and the planet.· In fact, similar managerial characteristics have continued to prevail in larger, technologically-advanced firms.
· No one determines if the company is actually paying the prevailing wage.
· Here, insularity seemed to prevail.· In the Malthusian struggle of cat and bird, it seems that first one prevails and then the other.· Much the same range of locations seems to prevail for the more romanized forms of housing.
the economic conditions which prevail in England and Wales I admired the creativity which prevailed among the young writers.2if a person, idea, or principle prevails in a fight, argument etc, they are successful in the end: Justice will prevail.common sense prevails/reason prevails (=a sensible decision is made) He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed.prevail over/against Your inner strength will enable you to prevail over life’s obstacles.prevail on/upon somebody phrasal verb formal to persuade someoneprevail on/upon somebody to do something She prevailed upon her father to say nothing.