Preponderate

Pronunciation varies by accent · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To outweigh; to be heavier than; to exceed in weight..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To outweigh; to be heavier than; to exceed in weight.
2. (transitive) To overpower by stronger or moral power.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To cause to prefer; to incline; to decide.
4. (intransitive) To exceed in weight or influence; hence, to predominate.

Example Sentences

an inconsiderable weight by virtue of its distance from the Centre of the Ballance, will preponderate much greater magnitudes

That is the preponderating consideration to which everything else has to yield.

The desire to spare Christian blood preponderates him for peace.

Anxiety preponderated over hope; and it was scarcely possible for Evelyn to encounter a danger not previously conjured up by the alarmed fancy of his mistress.

[…] if the principle of utility is good for anything, it must be good for weighing these conflicting utilities against one another, and marking out the region within which one or the other preponderates.

The natives of Banda are very much mixed, and it is probable that at least three-fourths of the population are mongrels, in various degrees of Malay, Papuan, Arab, Portuguese, and Dutch. The first two form the bases of the larger portion, and the dark skins, pronounced features, and more or less frizzly hair of the Papuans preponderates.

Train journeys were not long in terms of distance, and having regard to these factors, the tank engine inevitably preponderated.

Synonyms for preponderate

Antonyms for preponderate

Related Words

Word Forms

• preponderates
• preponderating
• preponderated

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions