How to Use prevail in a Sentence

prevail

verb
  • The law still prevails in some states.
  • Mutual respect prevails among students and teachers here.
  • The house was built in the style that prevailed in the 1980s.
  • Let’s see which style prevails.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
  • The truth is, games will be played and the sport will prevail.
    — Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 7 Aug. 2023
  • There’s no telling how all that will play out, or who will prevail.
    — Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2023
  • Yet, the Fed was able to prevail over him.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
  • That could change if Democrats prevail in the midterms.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Is there one split for lifting that prevails above the rest?
    — Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Roskam prevailed in his race that year by more than 18 points.
    — Erin Hegarty, Naperville Sun, 21 Mar. 2018
  • But the prevailing mood on most days was low-key dread.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Kramer took the case to trial and prevailed.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
  • Who will prevail, Charles or William?
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 4 May 2026
  • The sad truth of it all, though, is that in this instance, evil prevailed.
    — SI.com, 5 June 2018
  • To create a path to see others prevail as well.
    — Emma Banks, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The fog of endless war will lift and common sense will prevail.
    — Kai Bird, TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
  • One of the prevailing thoughts?
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
  • His rhetoric gave both sides hope of prevailing in the future.
    — Mark Sherman, Fox News, 4 June 2018
  • So, what does that tell us about their ability to prevail?
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Experts prevailed, for a while.
    — Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Those filing the complaints would need at least four votes to prevail.
    — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2021
  • And, lucky for us, these good mutations prevail a lot of the time.
    — Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Have to keep believing in that half to prevail.
    — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
  • And the team with the best depth over those three games will probably prevail.
    — Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 Oct. 2022
  • Still, Iran doesn’t have many options to prevail.
    — Javier Blas, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
  • In a game that had six lead changes and five ties, Cincinnati prevailed.
    — Charlie Hatch, Cincinnati.com, 20 Apr. 2018
  • Now is the time for steady, thoughtful voices to prevail.
    — Andy Bachman, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026
  • At the end of the sequence, the ego prevails and stands tall over the shadows.
    — Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, 17 Jan. 2020
  • Cooler heads should prevail, and make a deal that speeds her exit.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Greater knowledge can raise the chances for humans to prevail.
    — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 16 June 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prevail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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