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

Ultimately, what convinced many of her colleagues was the reassurance that citizens would not have decisional power; the parliament had a duty to consider their recommendations but could decide not to adopt them. — Esther King, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026

Kim, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, also said he was not convinced Republicans would work with Democrats next year to roll back or delay the scheduled Medicaid cuts. — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026

The struggle for retailers now is convincing consumers and lawmakers that digital labels won’t open the door to problematic pricing practices. — Alex Vuocolo, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Other experts aren’t necessarily convinced this announcement will change much inhe ta galactic game of chicken. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 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