verb
prevail
prih-VAYL
verb
1
To win out or come out on top, especially after a struggle.
"Despite the setbacks, the underdog team prevailed in the final."
"Justice eventually prevailed and the wrongly accused man was freed."
2
To be the most common or widespread condition; to be current.
"Calm weather prevailed across the region for most of the week."
How to Use Prevail
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo win in the end, or to be the dominant, most common state of things.
Common pairings
prevail over
good prevails
prevailing winds
Word Forms
prevailed past tense, prevails singular
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Despite the setbacks, the underdog team _____ in the final.
Etymology
From Latin praevalere, "to be more able, to be superior," from prae- ("before") + valere ("to be strong or able").