persuade

[ per-sweyd ]

See synonyms for: persuade persuaded persuades persuading on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),per·suad·ed, per·suad·ing.

to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging: We could not persuade him to wait.
to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; convince: to persuade the judge of the prisoner's innocence.

Origin of persuade

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

synonym study For persuade

1. 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.

usage note For persuade

See convince.

Other words for persuade

1	urge, influence, move, entice, impel

See synonyms for persuade on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for persuade

dissuade

See antonyms for persuade on Thesaurus.com

Other words from persuade

per·suad·a·ble, adjective
per·suad·a·bil·i·ty, per·suad·a·ble·ness, noun
per·suad·a·bly, adverb
per·suad·ing·ly, adverb
non·per·suad·a·ble, adjective
pre·per·suade, verb (used with object), pre·per·suad·ed, pre·per·suad·ing.
un·per·suad·a·ble, adjective
un·per·suad·a·bly, adverb
un·per·suad·ed, adjective
well-per·suad·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use persuade in a sentence

The president pushed ahead with a far-reaching pressure campaign to persuade Republican officials in Michigan, Georgia and elsewhere to overturn the will of voters.
Live updates: Georgia secretary of state issues correction, saying certification of its general election results is still under way | John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz, Michelle Lee | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
In 1997, Glenn announced that he would retire from the Senate at the end of his term in 1999 and immediately set his sights on persuading NASA to fly him in space again.
Another look at John Glenn through a heroic lens | Francis French | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
Micro-Influencers are especially effective in persuading their audience since they are usually experts in some niche and specific topic, which makes them a natural source of recommendations for this topic.
How social media influence 71% consumer buying decisions | Aleh Barysevich | November 20, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
It’s hard to persuade people to leave, to learn a new tool, and to re-create the ease of gathering such a large variety of people.
Why it’s easy to hate Facebook but hard to leave | Heather Kelly | November 19, 2020 | Washington Post
The latter provision could persuade more multinationals to locate their supply chains in the RCEP region.
15 countries signed the world’s biggest trade deal—but China is the clear winner | Naomi Xu Elegant | November 16, 2020 | Fortune

Or has the see and hear and speak-no-evil stance of the Republican House persuaded him that he is in the clear?
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence | Jason Berry | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
His big break came in 1992 when an aging cardinal plucked him from his outback and persuaded the Vatican to make him a bishop.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF | Jason Berry | December 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Later it became clear that he had persuaded Eisenhower to leave SHAPE and run for president in 1952.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk | Clive Irving | November 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Reagan made the case for his speech, and Goldwater was persuaded.
Remembering Reagan’s Defining Speech | Stuart Stevens | October 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And they are who must be persuaded, if climate change action is to become a reality.
Is Caring About Climate Change an Essential Part of LGBT Identity? | Jay Michaelson | September 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But first he held a whispered colloquy with the Princess, whom he entreated, or persuaded, to re-enter her gorgeous vehicle.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
Suffice it to say, a mutual passion was conceived between the two cousins, and my father persuaded her to elope with him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
I do it, persuaded of the propriety of the step, and satisfied that all will go well with him yet.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
His carriage was brought round to a private door, in a back street; and Ripperda was at last persuaded to enter it.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
I am very glad you have succeeded with your portable steam-engine, and am persuaded they will be more and more adopted.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for persuade

persuade

/ (pəˈsweɪd) /

verb(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)

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

Origin of persuade

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

Derived forms of persuade

persuadable or persuasible, adjective
persuadability or persuasibility, noun
persuader, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse