persuade
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to induce, urge, or prevail upon successfully
he finally persuaded them to buy it
-
to cause to believe; convince
even with the evidence, the police were not persuaded
Usage
See convince.
Related Words
Persuade, induce imply influencing someone's thoughts or actions. They are used today mainly in the sense of winning over a person to a certain course of action: It was I who persuaded him to call a doctor. I induced him to do it. They differ in that persuade suggests appealing more to the reason and understanding: I persuaded him to go back to his wife (although it is often lightly used: Can't I persuade you to stay to supper? ); induce emphasizes only the idea of successful influence, whether achieved by argument or by promise of reward: What can I say that will induce you to stay at your job? Owing to this idea of compensation, induce may be used in reference to the influence of factors as well as of persons: The prospect of a raise in salary was what induced him to stay.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of persuade
From the Latin word persuādēre, dating back to 1505–15. See per-, dissuade, suasion
Explanation
If you get talked into something, you've been persuaded. If your friends try to persuade you to swan-dive into a dangerous ravine, it's time to find some new friends. To persuade is to get your way — win the argument, convince the group to see your favorite movie, get your parents to let you borrow the car. You persuade with language, with a carefully constructed argument, and with the strength of your conviction. The word is sometimes used tongue-in-cheek to describe the very opposite of a carefully worded argument. A movie gangster might "persuade" people with the gun he keeps tucked in his pocket.
Vocabulary lists containing persuade
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Argumentative Writing
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Argumentative Writing, 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.
What can I do to persuade them to keep these stocks?
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
As Memorial Day weekend approaches, forecasts of plentiful sunshine may persuade many Southern Californians to strip down to their bathing suits — but researchers are warning of unsanitary waters at some local beaches.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The purveyors don’t have to persuade people to want their wares.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
As a result, users may not need to seek out fringe online communities or persuade others to validate their ideas.
From Science Daily • May 11, 2026
Someone had once tried to persuade him that the ancients did not understand the winds in the Mediterranean.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
