verb
prevail
prih-VAYL/prɪˈveɪl/
To hold or gain a dominant position.
The runner prevails over her nearest rival, breaking the finish tape.
Etymology
“Before” combined with “be strong” gave the sense “be stronger or have greater power.” Prevailing in a struggle is thus proving stronger than the opposition and succeeding.
In context
we are engaged in a great ideological struggle and to Prevail we must counter the terrorist dark ideology with a more hopeful alternative
More examples
- Despite fierce opposition, their plan finally prevailed.
- Dry conditions prevail across the region during summer.
- We prevailed on our neighbor to help repair the fence.
Forms
prevail · prevails · prevailed · prevailing
prevalent adjective — Widespread or common in a particular setting.
prevalence noun — The extent to which something is widespread.
Similar words
- win
- Emphasizes victory in a contest rather than continuing dominance.
- dominate
- Emphasizes holding power or influence, not necessarily overcoming opposition.
- predominate
- Emphasizes being most common or influential within a setting.