convince
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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to persuade; cajole.
We finally convinced them to have dinner with us.
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Obsolete. to prove or find guilty.
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Obsolete. to overcome; vanquish.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something; persuade
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to persuade (someone) to do something
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obsolete
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to overcome
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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
Derived Forms
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convincementnoun
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convincernoun
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convincibilitynoun
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preconvinceverb (used with object)
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reconvinceverb (used with object)
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convincibleadjective
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unconvincibleadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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convincesimple
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convincessimple
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have convincedperfect
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has convincedperfect
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am convincingprogressive
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are convincingprogressive
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is convincingprogressive
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have been convincingperfect progressive
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has been convincingperfect progressive
Past
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convincedsimple
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had convincedperfect
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was convincingprogressive
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were convincingprogressive
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had been convincingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing convince
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 21-30
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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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:
Jordan: Now if there’s a good horror or suspense movie out, I might convince Salish to go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi says he wants to convince England defender Djed Spence to stay at the club amid uncertainty over his future.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Charles D. Ellis has spent six decades trying to convince Wall Street of an uncomfortable truth: Most professional money managers cannot beat the market, and picking the ones who can is largely a losing game.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Don’t let anyone convince you that we don’t know how to shrink America’s persistent academic achievement gap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
If I can’t convince Dad to stay, I want to enjoy the time I have left with them.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
The sort of meal that costs very little but somehow convinces you otherwise.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
He gives me a virtual hug and convinces me to convince my husband that the pancakes in the freezer should be saved for my return and a new batch prepared for today’s breakfast.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
He convinces the driver he's the one who booked the fare, but that the destination has changed and he has to go to Lisburn - right to McCullagh's front gate.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
Playing himself, director James Burrows, whom Valerie convinces to helm her pilot, notes that the jokes AI writes might come fast but are never better than obvious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026
The Monday after, Chin convinces me I should talk to the lunch aides.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
Officials became convinced by the Food and Drug Administration’s findings and gave the agency the green light to make them public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
That is unless they can be convinced or agree to merge, which was close to happening in 2019.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Looksmaxxing is the internet community in which boys and men, convinced that good looks are the most valuable asset a person can have, share tips to try to become as physically attractive as possible.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
Every flower was talented and convinced it could win.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
And in the summer of 1939, I convinced Olka to join me.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
"None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Some CEOs say it takes some convincing to get them to give up their retirement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Another evacuee, 77-year-old Pedro Llorente, needs no convincing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Microsoft has had trouble convincing investors that it has a winning artificial-intelligence strategy, but they might be looking at the company’s big AI initiatives all wrong, according to a Morgan Stanley analyst.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
He told the whole story of that book to prove it, and he was convincing.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
