convince

American  

[kuhn-vins] / kənˈvɪns /

verb (used with object)

• convinces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• convinced,
  past participle,  past
• convincing
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• convincing
  present
• convinced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• convince
  simple
• convinces
  simple
• have convinced
  perfect
• has convinced
  perfect
• am convincing
  progressive
• are convincing
  progressive
• is convincing
  progressive
• have been convincing
  perfect progressive
• has been convincing
  perfect progressive

Past

• convinced
  simple
• had convinced
  perfect
• was convincing
  progressive
• were convincing
  progressive
• had been convincing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will convince
  simple
• will have convinced
  perfect
• will be convincing
  progressive
• will have been convincing
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

convince convinces convinced convincing

Commerzbank slashed thousands of jobs and hiked its financial targets in an effort to convince shareholders to back its campaign to remain independent.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

In a recent paper, Hyun analyzed 14 seasons of “Shark Tank,” the television show where entrepreneurs try to convince members of a panel of potential investors to back them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

A laboured points victory over Regis Prograis in his last outing did little to convince purists he belongs at the sport's highest echelon.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

In 2024, coaches in the Marine League decided to forfeit all games to the Gauchos in an attempt to convince the Los Angeles Unified School District to launch an investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Though it once helped convince millions of the truth of spirit communication, her Victorian-era writing is so overdramatic, that today, most of the book reads as proof against spirit existence.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Once the victim is hooked, the scammer finally convinces victims to open an account on the “investment platform.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

The US will has a way to go before it convinces economists, investors, and the nations trading with Iran that its sanctions threat is to be taken seriously.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

In Yitzak Shalev’s novel, a Jewish teacher in 1930s Jerusalem convinces students to join him in an underground military group.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The sort of meal that costs very little but somehow convinces you otherwise.

From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026

James Armistead, spying for the Americans, convinces General Arnold that he will spy for the British.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

But Kuzichkin was convinced that, as in Afghanistan, this was a fool’s errand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

She, too, wanted to research the candidates further; she leaned toward Villegas but was not yet convinced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

"But over the last few months, I have become convinced that fully addressing the risks requires even more prudence."

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

The Indian National Congress leader Subhas Chandra Bose was convinced that allying with Japan offered India its best chance at ending British rule.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

“You make it sound as if there are different winds to choose from,” she said, not wholly convinced.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

They were both winning, yes, but they haven't been all that convincing.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Boosting the stock will likely require success on several fronts, including convincing customers that Venmo is more than just an app to pay your friends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

But his widow has been uniquely bad at convincing people, even her own political allies, that they should care.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

They’ve already succeeded in convincing the government to designate the Vjosa Narta river area as a national park.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

It didn’t take much convincing from Paul before Ezekowitz agreed that Mass General would treat several Haitian patients a year without charge.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

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