convert
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
converts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
converted,
past participle, past
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converting
present participle
-
to change (something) into a different form or properties; transmute; transform.
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to cause to adopt a different religion, political doctrine, opinion, etc..
to convert the heathen.
- Synonyms:
- proselytize
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to turn to another or a particular use or purpose; divert from the original or intended use.
They converted the study into a nursery for the baby.
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to modify (something) so as to serve a different function.
to convert an automobile factory to the manufacture of tanks.
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to obtain an equivalent value for in an exchange or calculation, as money or units of measurement.
to convert bank notes into gold; to convert yards into meters.
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Finance. to exchange voluntarily (a bond or preferred stock) into another security, usually common stock, because of the greater value of the latter.
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to change in character; cause to turn from an evil life to a righteous one.
to convert a criminal.
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Chemistry. to cause (a substance) to undergo a chemical change.
to convert sugar into alcohol.
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to invert or transpose.
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Law.
-
to assume unlawful rights of ownership of (personal property).
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to change the form of (property), as from realty to personalty or vice versa.
-
-
to appropriate wrongfully to one's own use.
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Logic. to transpose the subject and predicate of (a proposition) by conversion.
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Computers. to subject to conversion.
verb (used without object)
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converts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
converted,
past participle, past
-
converting
present participle
-
to become converted.
-
Football. to make a conversion.
noun
verb
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to change or adapt the form, character, or function of; transform
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to cause (someone) to change in opinion, belief, etc
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to change (a person or his way of life, etc) for the better
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(intr) to admit of being changed (into)
the table converts into a tray
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(also intr) to change or be changed into another chemical compound or physical state
to convert water into ice
-
law
-
to assume unlawful proprietary rights over (personal property)
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to change (property) from realty into personalty or vice versa
-
-
(also intr) rugby to make a conversion after (a try)
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logic to transpose the subject and predicate of (a proposition) by conversion
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to change (a value or measurement) from one system of units to another
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to exchange (a security or bond) for something of equivalent value
noun
Synonym Usage
See transform.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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convertsimple
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convertssimple
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have convertedperfect
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has convertedperfect
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am convertingprogressive
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are convertingprogressive
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is convertingprogressive
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have been convertingperfect progressive
-
has been convertingperfect progressive
Past
-
convertedsimple
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had convertedperfect
-
was convertingprogressive
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were convertingprogressive
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had been convertingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of convert1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb converten, from Latin convertere “to change completely,” equivalent to con- intensive prefix + vertere “to turn”; noun convert replacing converse, Middle English convers, ultimately from Latin conversus; see also converse 2, verse 1
Origin of convert2
By shortening of convertible
Explanation
Think of the word convert as meaning "change," whether it is a person who adopts a new belief, or a changing action, such as when you convert dollars into euros. Many times we can catch a word's meaning by looking at its origins. In this case, the Latin con means "around," while vertere means "turn." So we can figure that convert means to "turn around," an object or one's thoughts on an idea. For example, you might convert a meat eater into a vegetarian or an empty-nester might convert the kids' bedroom into an exercise room.
Vocabulary lists containing convert
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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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.
See Examples For:
The protests took place following proposals to convert RAF Barnham in Suffolk, a former military base, into asylum seeker accommodation.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
And last year, the company began work on a $1-billion project to convert a former U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The underlying idea is that evolution should tend to favor body sizes that allow animals to convert available energy into offspring efficiently.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
He said he intended to convert new customers into lifetime fans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
They accused him of being a convert to Christianity and a spy for South Korea.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Three days after the executive order, the White House implemented the order through National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, which converts the fiction into machinery.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
As the body attempts to clear methanol - breaking it down or metabolising it in the liver - an enzyme converts it to formaldehyde and formic acid.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Nesma El-Areef, senior marketing and sales manager at Uflex Egypt, which converts plastic waste into new packaging materials, said demand for the company's recycled products rose by up to 40 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
"We found that something as simple as the type of chewing gum used alongside beetroot juice can influence how effectively the body converts dietary nitrate into compounds that help lower blood pressure."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Among the early converts to the religion of DNA was a young physicist from New Zealand, Maurice Wilkins.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
With the right processing methods, those materials could be converted into rocket propellant in space.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
They also can be converted into registered Trivago users, Thomas said, letting the company reach them through email and push notifications “at no dedicated marketing cost.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
She converted the garage at her home into what sounds like a veritable wonderland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Two schools have been converted into reception centres for unaccompanied migrant minors, especially girls, the ministry said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Einarsson and Skulason both concluded that Bobby, despite his late-life deliberations on the topic, was not a strong believer in the Catholic Church and that he hadn't converted to the faith.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The Pfizer failure and work stoppages have raised concerns about the safety of converting old skyscrapers into apartments, as these projects have become more common in several U.S. cities in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Connecting the combustion chamber to a turbine and converting its intense combustion into electricity created an additional engineering challenge.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
When you’re talking about converting as a working adult, you’re likely on your own to pay the tax.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Max spent £20,000 from his redundancy package buying and converting a horsebox trailer into a pizza truck, which now caters for weddings, parties and pop-ups.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
There were two working fireplaces, a two-car garage, and an attic suitable for converting into extra bedrooms if, the Realtor mentioned, the need should arise.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
