Prevail Upon

Pronunciation: /prɪˈveɪl əˈpɒn/

Definitions of prevail upon

verb to persuade or convince someone to do something

Example Sentences

A1 I prevailed upon my friend to help me move furniture.

A2 She prevailed upon her parents to let her go to the party.

B1 The teacher prevailed upon the students to study for the exam.

B2 The company CEO prevailed upon the board to approve the new budget.

C1 The politician prevailed upon the public to support her campaign.

C2 The lawyer prevailed upon the jury to deliver a verdict in favor of her client.

Examples of prevail upon in a Sentence

formal I had to prevail upon my colleagues to support the new initiative.

informal I managed to prevail upon my friend to lend me some money.

slang I couldn't prevail upon my parents to let me go to the concert.

figurative Despite the odds, he was able to prevail upon his inner strength to keep going.

Grammatical Forms of prevail upon

• past tense: prevailed upon
• plural: prevail upon
• present tense: prevail upon
• future tense: will prevail upon
• perfect tense: have prevailed upon
• continuous tense: is prevailing upon
• singular: prevails upon
• positive degree: prevail upon
• infinitive: to prevail upon
• gerund: prevailing upon
• participle: prevailed upon

Origin and Evolution of prevail upon

First Known Use: 1300 year

Language of Origin: Old French/Latin

Story behind the word: The phrase 'prevail upon' originated from Old French 'prevaloir' meaning 'to be superior', which was derived from Latin 'praevalere' meaning 'to be stronger'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'prevail upon' has evolved to mean to persuade or convince someone to do something, rather than simply being superior or stronger.