convince

American  

[kuhn-vins] / kənˈvɪns /

verb (used with object)

convinced, convincing

1. to move by argument or evidence to belief, agreement, consent, or a course of action.

   Ample evidence convinced the jury of his guilt.

   A test drive will convince you that this car handles well.

   Synonyms:

   satisfy

2. to persuade; cajole.

   We finally convinced them to have dinner with us.

3. Obsolete. to prove or find guilty.

4. Obsolete. to overcome; vanquish.

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convince British  

/ kənˈvɪns /

verb

1. (may take a clause as object) to make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something; persuade

2. to persuade (someone) to do something

3. obsolete

   1. to overcome

   2. to prove guilty

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Usage

Convince, an often stated rule says, may be followed only by that or of, never by to: We convinced him that he should enter (not convinced him to enter ) the contest. He was convinced of the wisdom of entering. In examples to support the rule, convince is often contrasted with persuade, which may take to, of, or that followed by the appropriate construction: We persuaded him to seek counseling (or of his need for counseling or that he should seek counseling ). The history of usage does not support the rule. Convince (someone) to has been in use since the 16th century and, despite objections by some, occurs freely today in all varieties of speech and writing and is fully standard: Members of the cabinet are trying to convince the prime minister not to resign.

The use of convince to talk about persuading someone to do something is considered by many British speakers to be wrong or unacceptable

Other Word Forms

• convincement noun
• convincer noun
• convincibility noun
• convincible adjective
• preconvince verb (used with object)
• reconvince verb (used with object)
• unconvincible adjective

Etymology

Origin of convince

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin convincere “to prove (something) false or true, (somebody) right or wrong,” equivalent to con- con- + vincere “to overcome”; see victor

Explanation

"How again was it that you convinced me to do this?" the boy said to his friend before they jumped out of the plane on their first sky dive. Convince means to talk someone into something, or win someone over. A person convinces by making an argument—you can convince your parents to let you go to the movies by promising you'll do all your homework the next day. A thing can convince as well. The cash prize convinced me to enter the contest. The threat of failure convinced the kids to study.

Example Sentences

Whether he’ll be able to convince them otherwise remains to be seen.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Canfell and her team have tried to convince governments cervical cancer elimination is a worthwhile investment, which will save them money in the long run.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

So now it’s like, how do you convince your executive team that they need to be active on LinkedIn?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

To be a great philosophical mind — that is, someone who can convince others of their beliefs about the human mind and our larger nature — one must also be a salesperson.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

How could I convince her without giving anything away?

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Related Words

• assure
• get
• persuade
• prompt
• prove
• satisfy
• sway