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

Some of the largest proposals seeking chunks of Orange County’s lucrative bed tax got the final crack Wednesday at convincing a task force to advance their ideas, which combined would cost billions of dollars. — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026

Republicans in two red states couldn’t convince voters to change election rules to make their party stronger. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026

The gentleman selling the tickets convinced Leslie to consider his second choice. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026

Scott takes credit for convincing Tong to move to PIX11 after she was cut loose by WABC in 1992. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 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