convicted; convicting; convicts
1
: to find or prove to be guilty
The jury convicted them of fraud.
2
: to convince of error or sinfulness
: to find a defendant guilty
Remarkably, two of the jurors boldly dug in their heels and pressed to convict.—
John Grisham
John Grisham
con·vict
ˈkän-ˌvikt 
1
: a person convicted of and under sentence for a crime
2
: a person serving a usually long prison sentence
Synonyms
Examples of convict in a Sentence
Verb
There is sufficient evidence to convict.
He was convicted in federal court.
The jury convicted them on three counts of fraud.
Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
Noun
a warning that the three escaped convicts were armed and dangerous
Recent Examples on the WebRuben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
He was convicted on eight counts of aggravated murder and 14 other charges in November of 2022, and is appealing his conviction.
—The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
Calls and visits in effect while Guzman was on trial were superseded once he was convicted, the judge wrote.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2024
Four others were convicted on the obstruction and other charges: Todd; Kennedy, of Sikeston; Matthew Loganbill, of Versailles; and Chrestman, of Olathe.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The charges don't bar him from running for or becoming president, yet the prospect that he could be convicted and sentenced to jail could trigger a political crisis.
—Erik Larson and Patricia Hurtado Bloomberg News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 15 Apr. 2024
In Asheville, two reporters were convicted of trespassing while covering police breaking up a protest in a city park.
—Taylor Batten, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
If convicted on any of the 34 counts, Trump faces potential prison time — though some experts believe he would be given a lesser sentence as a first-time offender.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
If convicted of the 15 counts, which include wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the couple could face 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to court documents.
—Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Milana Mazaeva, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Taking control of Bakhmut had come at a high cost to Wagner, with perhaps 20,000 soldiers killed, most of them convicts recruited by Prigozhin from Russian prisons.
—Serhii Plokhy, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2023
Smith is to be the first convict executed by the state in 2024 and Oklahoma's 12th execution since capital punishment resumed in 2021.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
Russia has swelled the ranks of its army by deploying squads of former convicts.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
However, the right of a convict to vote depends on the laws of the state or territory where they were convicted.
—USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
And no consequences for beating convicts nearly to death?
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024
Tens of thousands of Russians have been killed or wounded, according to Western and Ukrainian officials, but Russia has steadily replenished their ranks, including using convicts to join the fighting.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
In the 1930s, Bennett created the Ford Service Department, an armed squad of ex-cops, paroled convicts, gangsters and former athletes, to spy on employees and disrupt union organizers.
—Jack Kresnak, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Verb
Nguyen, who remains in jail in lieu of $5.25-million bail, faces life in prison if convicted as charged.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
He was convicted on eight counts of aggravated murder and 14 other charges in November of 2022, and is appealing his conviction.
—The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
Calls and visits in effect while Guzman was on trial were superseded once he was convicted, the judge wrote.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2024
Four others were convicted on the obstruction and other charges: Todd; Kennedy, of Sikeston; Matthew Loganbill, of Versailles; and Chrestman, of Olathe.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The charges don't bar him from running for or becoming president, yet the prospect that he could be convicted and sentenced to jail could trigger a political crisis.
—Erik Larson and Patricia Hurtado Bloomberg News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 15 Apr. 2024
In Asheville, two reporters were convicted of trespassing while covering police breaking up a protest in a city park.
—Taylor Batten, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
If convicted on any of the 34 counts, Trump faces potential prison time — though some experts believe he would be given a lesser sentence as a first-time offender.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
If convicted of the 15 counts, which include wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the couple could face 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to court documents.
—Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Noun
The Wagner group began recruiting convicts in August 2022, with a promise of presidential pardons in exchange for signing a six-month contract.
—Milana Mazaeva, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Taking control of Bakhmut had come at a high cost to Wagner, with perhaps 20,000 soldiers killed, most of them convicts recruited by Prigozhin from Russian prisons.
—Serhii Plokhy, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2023
Smith is to be the first convict executed by the state in 2024 and Oklahoma's 12th execution since capital punishment resumed in 2021.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
Russia has swelled the ranks of its army by deploying squads of former convicts.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
However, the right of a convict to vote depends on the laws of the state or territory where they were convicted.
—USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
And no consequences for beating convicts nearly to death?
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024
Tens of thousands of Russians have been killed or wounded, according to Western and Ukrainian officials, but Russia has steadily replenished their ranks, including using convicts to join the fighting.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
In the 1930s, Bennett created the Ford Service Department, an armed squad of ex-cops, paroled convicts, gangsters and former athletes, to spy on employees and disrupt union organizers.
—Jack Kresnak, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'convict.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near convict
Cite this Entry
“Convict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convict. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
convict
1 of 2 verb
con·vict
kən-ˈvikt
: to find or prove guilty
convict
2 of 2 noun
con·vict
ˈkän-ˌvikt
: a person serving a prison sentence
Legal Definition
convict
2 of 2 noun
con·vict
ˈkän-ˌvikt
: a person convicted of and serving a sentence for a crime
Etymology
Transitive verb
Latin convictus past participle of convincere to find guilty, prove, from com- with, together + vincer to conquer
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