convert
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
converts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
converted,
past participle, past
-
converting
present participle
-
to change (something) into a different form or properties; transmute; transform.
-
to cause to adopt a different religion, political doctrine, opinion, etc..
to convert the heathen.
- Synonyms:
- proselytize
-
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.
-
to modify (something) so as to serve a different function.
to convert an automobile factory to the manufacture of tanks.
-
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.
-
Finance. to exchange voluntarily (a bond or preferred stock) into another security, usually common stock, because of the greater value of the latter.
-
to change in character; cause to turn from an evil life to a righteous one.
to convert a criminal.
-
Chemistry. to cause (a substance) to undergo a chemical change.
to convert sugar into alcohol.
-
to invert or transpose.
-
Law.
-
to assume unlawful rights of ownership of (personal property).
-
to change the form of (property), as from realty to personalty or vice versa.
-
-
to appropriate wrongfully to one's own use.
-
Logic. to transpose the subject and predicate of (a proposition) by conversion.
-
Computers. to subject to conversion.
verb (used without object)
-
converts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
converted,
past participle, past
-
converting
present participle
-
to become converted.
-
Football. to make a conversion.
noun
verb
-
to change or adapt the form, character, or function of; transform
-
to cause (someone) to change in opinion, belief, etc
-
to change (a person or his way of life, etc) for the better
-
(intr) to admit of being changed (into)
the table converts into a tray
-
(also intr) to change or be changed into another chemical compound or physical state
to convert water into ice
-
law
-
to assume unlawful proprietary rights over (personal property)
-
to change (property) from realty into personalty or vice versa
-
-
(also intr) rugby to make a conversion after (a try)
-
logic to transpose the subject and predicate of (a proposition) by conversion
-
to change (a value or measurement) from one system of units to another
-
to exchange (a security or bond) for something of equivalent value
noun
Synonym Usage
See transform.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
convertsimple
-
convertssimple
-
have convertedperfect
-
has convertedperfect
-
am convertingprogressive
-
are convertingprogressive
-
is convertingprogressive
-
have been convertingperfect progressive
-
has been convertingperfect progressive
Past
-
convertedsimple
-
had convertedperfect
-
was convertingprogressive
-
were convertingprogressive
-
had been convertingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing convert
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Their goal is to use microorganisms to convert waste materials into food that people can safely eat.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at UK-based think tank Chatham House, said Iran "is trying to convert escalation into increased leverage".
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
What really mattered, in the long run, was how WMU responded, if they could convert a hard moment into emotional maturity and motivation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
It’s the kind of dish that could convert someone skeptical about goat.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
To encode a message, you first convert the message from words to the corresponding five-digit numbers from the codebook.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
An ultrathin diamond wafer converts CEBAF's electrons into a beam of high-energy photons with parallel spins.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
Suppose someone makes a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution and then converts it to a Roth IRA.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Three days after the executive order, the White House implemented the order through National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, which converts the fiction into machinery.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Nesma El-Areef, senior marketing and sales manager at Uflex Egypt, which converts plastic waste into new packaging materials, said demand for the company's recycled products rose by up to 40 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
There was Crazy Mary, whose family were Christian converts.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Thousands of homes and villas have been converted to short-term rentals like Airbnbs, and a black market for illegal apartment rentals has further constrained housing supply for locals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Jerry Shifman converted the point-after kick for the winning margin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Finland has been a “vital hub” for Google, since the company bought a paper mill in Hamina, Finland, in 2009 and converted it to a data center.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
All seven Australians in the NFL converted from rugby, basketball or Australian rules football, and Australia has a huge pool of similar athletes with transferable skills.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
His mother’s room was two flights up, a converted attic space.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
They would also have required future natural gas plants to meet strict emissions standards, which they could achieve by converting to cleaner-burning fuels like hydrogen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Google will build new data centres in Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala, while expanding its existing facility in Hamina, which it established after converting a former paper mill in 2009.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Weiss, the Nashville lawyer, knows of a case where a buyer intended to live in her unit for one year before converting it into a rental.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
What it means, he wrote, is that companies are doing a good job of converting sales into profits.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Her retina is converting those images to electronic signals.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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.
