Prevail
v.resilient, hopefulliterary
What it means
To succeed in the end despite resistance, uncertainty, or difficulty.
Reach for it when describing a cause, person, or quality that ultimately overcomes opposition
Patient negotiation prevailed after several hurried proposals failed.
Choose between these
7- playful
carry the day
when one argument or proposal wins support in a lively account
not when The idiom feels informal and emphasizes persuasion more than endurance.
- everyday
when reaching the intended result is the only point
not when Succeed does not imply an opposing force or a contested outcome.
- everyday
take hold
when an idea or practice gradually becomes established
not when Take hold describes adoption but not a deliberate victory.
- everyday
where a contest has a clear victor
not when Win can make cooperation or gradual acceptance sound adversarial.
- professional
if a named obstacle is defeated or managed
not when Overcome normally takes the obstacle as its object rather than the winning principle.
- formal
endure
if survival through time matters more than defeating an opponent
not when Endure means remain, not necessarily emerge successful.
- literary
for a decisive, emotionally resonant victory over difficulty
not when Triumph is more celebratory and may exaggerate a modest success.
Said against
3- fail
- succumb
- yield
It naturally appears in
3- justice prevail
The advocates kept working until justice prevailed in the final ruling.
- ultimately prevail
The safer design would ultimately prevail on both cost and reliability.
- prevail against
Community gardens can prevail against neglect when residents share ownership.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English verb sense: to triumph or prove superior opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.