persuade

[per-sweyd]

verb (used with object)

persuaded, persuading 

1. to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging.

   We could not persuade him to wait.

   Synonyms: impel, entice, move, influence, urge
   Antonyms: dissuade

2. to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; convince.

   to persuade the judge of the prisoner's innocence.

persuade

/ pəˈsweɪd /

verb

1. to induce, urge, or prevail upon successfully

   he finally persuaded them to buy it

2. to cause to believe; convince

   even with the evidence, the police were not persuaded

Usage

See convince.

Other Word Forms

• persuadable adjective
• persuadability noun
• persuadableness noun
• persuadably adverb
• persuadingly adverb
• nonpersuadable adjective
• prepersuade verb (used with object)
• unpersuadable adjective
• unpersuadably adverb
• unpersuaded adjective
• well-persuaded adjective
• persuader noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of persuade¹

From the Latin word persuādēre, dating back to 1505–15. See per-, dissuade, suasion

Word History and Origins

Origin of persuade¹

C16: from Latin persuādēre, from per- (intensive) + suādēre to urge, advise

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The Tories hope their calls for cuts in public spending, regulation and taxation will distinguish them from their left-leaning rivals and help them persuade traditional supporters not to switch to Reform UK.

Read more on BBC

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s bid to bolster the country’s economy includes persuading private investors to back big infrastructure and resource projects that could help Canada reduce its reliance on U.S. demand.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He helped persuade Republicans in Congress to cancel $9 billion in previously approved foreign aid and public broadcasting support, a process known as “rescission.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Spare a thought then for Switzerland, which has been hit with punitive tariffs of 39%, and has so far been unable to persuade the US president to relent.

Read more on BBC

This woman, it transpires, is fleeing an unhappy marriage; she invites herself onboard and persuades Jatgeir to run away with her.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• advise 
• assure 
• cajole 
• coax 
• enlist 
• entice 
• exhort 
• get 
• impress 
• incline 
• induce 
• influence 
• prompt 
• satisfy 
• sway 
• urge 
• woo