prevail upon
To convince someone to do something, even though they didn't really want to do it at first.
Meanings
To successfully persuade someone — often through persistence or moral argument — to do something they were unwilling to do.
"She finally prevailed upon her elderly father to see a doctor."
"I prevailed upon the reluctant Mr. Huxley to accompany me."
— Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) — paraphrase of narrative style
Distinctly formal and somewhat literary. Implies that persuasion required effort and that the person was initially unwilling. Always takes a human object followed by an infinitive: 'prevail upon someone to do something'. Common in formal correspondence, literary writing, and formal speech. Using it in casual conversation would sound stiff or old-fashioned.
Commonly used with
Forms
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Synonyms
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