# prevail

Pronunciation: say "pri-VAYL" /pɹɪˈveɪl/

## Verb

1. To be superior in strength, dominance, or influence; to gain the upper hand over others.
   - Simple: To be stronger or have more power than others.
   - _Larger armies do not always prevail against clever tactics._
   - _Her influence prevailed in the boardroom for years._
2. To triumph and emerge as the victor.
   - Simple: To win after a hard fight or struggle.
   - _Against all odds, the rebels prevailed._
   - _Underdogs sometimes prevail when nobody expects it._
3. To be current, widespread, or predominant at a particular time or place.
   - Simple: To be common or found in most places at a certain time.
   - _Strong westerly winds prevail along this stretch of coast._
   - _A mood of optimism prevailed across the country after the election._
4. To succeed in persuading or inducing someone to do something.
   - Simple: To talk someone into doing something.
   - _They prevailed upon her to stay one more night._
   - _A good lawyer can prevail upon a reluctant witness to speak._

## Verb

5. To be of use or benefit to someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To help someone or do them some good.

## Origin

From Middle English prevailen, from Old French prevaler, from Latin praevaleō ('be very able or more able, be superior'), formed from prae ('before') plus valeō ('be able or powerful'). It displaced the native Old English rīcsian.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/prevail (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).