Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Prevail for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Prevail" — verb, pronounced /prɪˈveɪl/, with the stress on "vail".
Narrator: To prevail means to win against opposition, or to be common in a place or time.
Narrator: In plain English, what prevails wins out or is widespread.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin praevalere, to be stronger.
Narrator: A common collocation is "common sense prevailed", which describes a sensible outcome winning.
Narrator: It differs from "win", because prevail suggests a long struggle.
Narrator: In a second sense, to prevail upon someone means to persuade them.
Narrator: Law, politics, weather reports and history all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: to prevail is to come out stronger.
Speaker A: Why do lawyers say justice will prevail?
Speaker B: Because it sounds noble! PREVAIL comes from the Latin for being stronger.
Speaker A: So it means win in the end?
Speaker B: Exactly.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Truth will prevail", a hope. "Westerly winds prevail here", common weather. "She prevailed upon him to stay", persuasion.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Say prevail over an opponent and prevail upon a person, not prevail against someone to do.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Triumph is its cousin, win is its twin, and predominate is the formal alternative, but prevail keeps its heroic charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "prevail" in AI prompts — useful for legal analytics and weather apps.
Speaker A: How would legal analytics use it?
Speaker B: Predict outcomes.
Prompt: Summarise which party prevailed in each of these ten case records and the main reason.
Speaker A: And weather apps?
Speaker B: Describe conditions.
Prompt: Describe the prevailing wind direction for this coastal town each season.
Speaker A: Could it help debates?
Speaker B: Yes, arguments.
Prompt: List the arguments most likely to prevail in a debate on four-day working weeks.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Contracts.
Prompt: Explain what a clause saying the English version shall prevail means in a bilingual contract.
Prevail — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary