Prevail upon is a phrase commonly used to describe the act of persuading someone to do something. However, there are many other synonyms that can be used to convey the same meaning, such as convince, coax, cajole, or influence. Each of these words implies a slightly different level of persuasion, ranging from gentle coaxing to forceful influencing. Other related words include urge, prompt, encourage, and sway. All of these words are useful in different contexts and can help to convey a sense of urgency, or the need to convince someone to take a particular course of action.