convince

verb

con·​vince kən-ˈvin(t)s 

convinced; convincing

transitive verb

1

: to bring (as by argument) to belief, consent, or a course of action : persuade

… convinced himself that she was all right …

—William Faulkner

something I could never convince him to read

—John Lahr

2

obsolete

a

: to overcome by argument

b

: overpower, overcome

3

obsolete : demonstrate, prove

convincer noun

Synonyms of convince

• persuade
• satisfy
• bring

Examples of convince in a Sentence

He convinced me that the story was true.

They convinced us of their innocence.

I managed to convince myself that I was doing the right thing.

We convinced them to go along with our scheme.

I was unable to convince her to stay.

Recent Examples on the Web

The dynamic left senators convinced that the deal was the only way to move past their disagreements and reopen the Homeland Security Department. —Stephen Groves, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026

Even a free infrastructure project wasn’t enough to convince Maryland officials to work with Elon Musk. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026

Sanchez was talking with a suicidal man and tried to convince him to take himself to the hospital for an evaluation. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026

He’s forced to constantly rebuild his roster and spend his time off the court convincing wealthy alumni to donate so the program can lure and retain talent. —Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin convincere to refute, convict, prove, from com- + vincere to conquer — more at victor

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for convince

• evince
• mince
• prince
• quince
• rinse
• since
• wince

Kids Definition

convince

verb

con·​vince kən-ˈvin(t)s 

convinced; convincing

: to make a person agree or believe by arguing or showing evidence

convinced me it was true

convincer noun