convertible
Americanadjective
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capable of being converted.
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having a folding top, as an automobile or pleasure boat.
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exchangeable for something of equal value.
debts payable only in convertible currencies.
noun
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an automobile or a boat with a folding top.
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a sofa, couch, or chair whose seating section can be folded out into a bed.
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Finance. a convertible bond or security.
adjective
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capable of being converted
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(of a car) having a folding or removable roof
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finance
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a bond or debenture that can be converted to ordinary or preference shares on a fixed date at a fixed price
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(of a paper currency) exchangeable on demand for precious metal to an equivalent value
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able to be converted into a longer term mortgage without financial penalty
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noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of convertible
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word convertibilis. See convert 1, -ible
Explanation
If it starts to rain while you’re riding in a convertible car with the top down, you can always put the top back up. Convertible is an adjective that means “capable of changing from one form to another.” Something that is convertible can be changed or transformed from one thing to another. Money, for instance, is convertible because it can be changed from one currency to another — for example, from dollars to euros. A sofa bed is convertible because it can be transformed from a sofa into a bed. Likewise, a convertible jacket is a jacket that can be changed (by removing the sleeves or an inner lining) depending on the weather.
Vocabulary lists containing convertible
-ible
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Rebound
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Counting by 7s
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the May 2, 2026, print edition as 'A Convertible That Inspires Envy Like a Luxury Handbag'.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Convertible bonds pay interest and have principal protection and maturities, but when the stocks of their issuers climb above a certain target price, they can be converted to stock shares.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
After graduation, she moved to New York to pursue an acting career and soon got a job as a model: the “Cadillac Eldorado Convertible Girl.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2024
Convertible notes are debt that can convert to equity on pre-agreed terms and have proved popular among private companies recently as other funding markets dry up.
From Reuters • Jun. 20, 2023
Naturally the Schermerhorn twins were popular tenth graders—husky, blond Greek Gods who had everything, including a red Convertible and a swimming pool Pop Schermerhorn had built for them at the ranch.
From Adolescents Only by Cox, Irving E.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
