1 pervade | Definition of pervade

pervade

verb
per·​vade | \ pər-ˈvād How to pronounce pervade (audio) \
pervaded; pervading

Definition of pervade

transitive verb

: to become diffused throughout every part of

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Did You Know?

English speakers borrowed "pervade" in the mid-17th century from Latin pervadere, meaning "to go through." "Pervadere," in turn, was formed by combining the prefix per-, meaning "through," with the verb vadere, meaning "to go." Synonyms of "pervade" include "permeate," "impregnate," and "saturate." "Pervade" stresses a spreading diffusion throughout every part of a whole ("art and music pervade every aspect of their lives"). "Permeate" implies diffusion specifically throughout a material thing ("a green dye permeating a garment"). "Impregnate" suggests a forceful influence or effect on something throughout ("impregnate the cotton with alcohol"). "Saturate" is used when nothing more may be taken up or absorbed ("cloth saturated with water").

Examples of pervade in a Sentence

A feeling of great sadness pervades the film. Art and music pervade every aspect of their lives.

Recent Examples on the Web

That means deliberately veering Pasjoli’s opening menu away from overly rich or obvious staples that pervade many French menus in America. Los Angeles Times, "With Pasjoli, one of L.A.’s best tasting-menu chefs goes à la carte French," 10 Sep. 2019 During solar minimum, more cosmic rays can reach the strong magnetic field near the sun’s surface and get mirrored, instead of being deflected prematurely by the turbulent tangle of field lines that pervades the inner solar system at other times. Quanta Magazine, "The Sun Is Stranger Than Astrophysicists Imagined," 27 Aug. 2019 Jasmine for similarly calling out the harmful stereotypes about people of color that pervade the industry to this day. oregonlive.com, "And just like that, our week in Corvallis has come to an end (but I don’t want it to)," 20 July 2019 But senior department officials, county leaders and prosecutors have failed to root out a subculture of inked clubs that pervades the nation’s largest sheriff’s agency. Maya Lau, latimes.com, "Deputy gangs have survived decades of lawsuits and probes. Can the FBI stop them?," 14 July 2019 Today, the same alchemy that pervades his original experience carried over to all of the spin-off productions, getting a fresh jolt of creative energy each time -- including, yet again, with the new incarnation. Scott Huver, CNN, "The 'Circle of Life' brings singer Lebo M back to 'The Lion King'," 17 July 2019 Seek out unique and wonderful modern structures intermingled with age-old buildings, and capture symbols of the palpable creative energy that pervades this Bohemian capital. National Geographic, "Prague High School Photography Workshop," 17 June 2019 Employment was hard to find for returning soldiers, there were strikes and Americans' fears about the potential rise of communism pervaded. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "To Remember the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, Commemoration Project Looks to Public Art," 30 July 2019 The electrons then smash into the ambient photons that pervade the universe as a part of the cosmic microwave background and send them speeding through the galaxy. Dennis Normile, Science | AAAS, "Highest energy light ever seen traced to Crab Nebula," 8 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pervade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of pervade

1659, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for pervade

Latin pervadere to go through, pervade, from per- through + vadere to go — more at per-, wade

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More Definitions for pervade

pervade

verb

English Language Learners Definition of pervade

formal : to spread through all parts of (something) : to exist in every part of (something)

pervade

verb
per·​vade | \ pər-ˈvād How to pronounce pervade (audio) \
pervaded; pervading

Kids Definition of pervade

: to spread through all parts of : permeate Spicy smells pervaded the whole house.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pervade

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with pervade

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pervade

Spanish Central: Translation of pervade

Nglish: Translation of pervade for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of pervade for Arabic Speakers