convert

¹ American  

[kuhn-vurt, kon-vurt] / kənˈvɜrt, ˈkɒn vɜrt /

verb (used with object)

converts, present (3rd person singular) converted, past participle, past converting present participle

1. to change (something) into a different form or properties; transmute; transform.

2. to cause to adopt a different religion, political doctrine, opinion, etc..

   to convert the heathen.

   Synonyms:

   proselytize

3. to turn to another or a particular use or purpose; divert from the original or intended use.

   They converted the study into a nursery for the baby.

4. to modify (something) so as to serve a different function.

   to convert an automobile factory to the manufacture of tanks.

5. to obtain an equivalent value for in an exchange or calculation, as money or units of measurement.

   to convert bank notes into gold; to convert yards into meters.

6. Finance. to exchange voluntarily (a bond or preferred stock) into another security, usually common stock, because of the greater value of the latter.

7. to change in character; cause to turn from an evil life to a righteous one.

   to convert a criminal.

8. Chemistry. to cause (a substance) to undergo a chemical change.

   to convert sugar into alcohol.

9. to invert or transpose.

10. Law.

    1. to assume unlawful rights of ownership of (personal property).

    2. to change the form of (property), as from realty to personalty or vice versa.

11. to appropriate wrongfully to one's own use.

12. Logic. to transpose the subject and predicate of (a proposition) by conversion.

13. Computers. to subject to conversion.

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verb (used without object)

converts, present (3rd person singular) converted, past participle, past converting present participle

1. to become converted.

2. Football. to make a conversion.

noun

1. one who has been converted, as to a religion or opinion.

   Synonyms:

   neophyte, proselyte, novice

convert ² American  

[kon-vurt] / ˈkɒn vɜrt /

noun

Informal.

1. a convertible automobile.

2. a convertible bond.

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convert British  

verb

1. to change or adapt the form, character, or function of; transform

2. to cause (someone) to change in opinion, belief, etc

3. to change (a person or his way of life, etc) for the better

4. (intr) to admit of being changed (into)

   the table converts into a tray

5. (also intr) to change or be changed into another chemical compound or physical state

   to convert water into ice

6. law

   1. to assume unlawful proprietary rights over (personal property)

   2. to change (property) from realty into personalty or vice versa

7. (also intr) rugby to make a conversion after (a try)

8. logic to transpose the subject and predicate of (a proposition) by conversion

9. to change (a value or measurement) from one system of units to another

10. to exchange (a security or bond) for something of equivalent value

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noun

1. a person who has been converted to another belief, religion, etc

Synonym Usage

See transform.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• convertive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• converting
  present
• converted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• convert
  simple
• converts
  simple
• have converted
  perfect
• has converted
  perfect
• am converting
  progressive
• are converting
  progressive
• is converting
  progressive
• have been converting
  perfect progressive
• has been converting
  perfect progressive

Past

• converted
  simple
• had converted
  perfect
• was converting
  progressive
• were converting
  progressive
• had been converting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will convert
  simple
• will have converted
  perfect
• will be converting
  progressive
• will have been converting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of convert¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb converten, from Latin convertere “to change completely,” equivalent to con- intensive prefix + vertere “to turn”; noun convert replacing converse, Middle English convers, ultimately from Latin conversus; see also converse ², verse ¹

Origin of convert²

By shortening of convertible

Explanation

Think of the word convert as meaning "change," whether it is a person who adopts a new belief, or a changing action, such as when you convert dollars into euros. Many times we can catch a word's meaning by looking at its origins. In this case, the Latin con means "around," while vertere means "turn." So we can figure that convert means to "turn around," an object or one's thoughts on an idea. For example, you might convert a meat eater into a vegetarian or an empty-nester might convert the kids' bedroom into an exercise room.

Example Sentences

The French come closest to a grand national idea—liberté, egalité, fraternité, although this is refracted through repeated failures to convert those principles into stable governance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

The fact that the U.S. failed to convert any of them proved costly when Ayhan, surrounded by three U.S. defenders, scored on a scramble in front of the net.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026

North Herts Council granted full planning permission on 10 June for the actor to convert Kimpton Grange in Kimpton, Hertfordshire, into six apartments and to build an additional nine homes within the wider estate.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026

Since the Aug. 22, 2025 decision to convert unpaid grants into an $8.9 billion investment, the stock has jumped 589%, according to FactSet.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026

As additional proof from other laboratories and experiments accumulated in the 1950s, even the most hidebound skeptics had to convert into believers.*

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• apply
• download
• modify
• remodel
• reorganize
• switch
• transform
• translate
• turn