convict

1 of 3

adjective

con·​vict kən-ˈvikt 

archaic

: having been convicted

convict

2 of 3

verb

con·​vict kən-ˈvikt 

convicted; convicting; convicts

transitive verb

1

: to find or prove to be guilty

The jury convicted them of fraud.

2

: to convince of error or sinfulness

intransitive verb

: to find a defendant guilty

Remarkably, two of the jurors boldly dug in their heels and pressed to convict.

—John Grisham

convict

3 of 3

noun

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

Verb

• condemn

Noun

• con
• jailbird

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 Web

Verb

If Lemma is convicted, the maximum penalty for the two espionage charges could be death or life in prison, and the retention charge could result in a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. —Robert Legare, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2023

Pettis, now 54, was captured, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 Sep. 2023

The banker, Russell Laffitte, was convicted on six federal charges in connection with the scheme in November 2022, prosecutors said. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2023

Bloomberg Former Congressman jailed Ex-Indiana Congressman Stephen Buyer, a Republican, was sentenced to 22 months in prison on Tuesday after being convicted of insider trading. —Peter Vanham, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023

He was arrested in 2015 on charges of espionage and convicted in a trial that lasted a few hours. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 20 Sep. 2023

Their father, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel, was convicted in 2019 and is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado. —Jonathan Dienst, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2023

Meanwhile, Donald is facing a total of 91 criminal counts between four investigations, some of which have potential to land him in prison if convicted. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023

While it has never been attempted by a candidate from a major party before, Trump is allowed to run for president while under indictment — or even if he is convicted of a crime. —Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023

Noun

Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante was shot at Monday night by a homeowner who found him in his garage stealing a rifle, authorities said. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2023

If confirmed, Prigozhin’s death would cap a meteoric rise and fall for a convict turned restaurateur turned warlord. —Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023

There were a few employees his age, says Lipman-Stern, but the majority were former convicts. —Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2023

All season long, viewers watched convict Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot) work at Three Rock as a way to potentially shorten his five-year prison sentence. —Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 4 Aug. 2023

Medvedev eventually lost track of how many convict fighters cycled through his unit. —Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023

Pennsylvania State Police via AFP - Getty Images A green sweatshirt and a white T-shirt believed to belong to the convict were found near the edge of the home's driveway, and the search perimeter was expanded to include that area. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2023

Then Prigozhin began to recruit from prisons, bolstering Wagner’s ranks with tens of thousands of convicts. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023

Officials urged local residents to be wary and keep homes and cars locked, and police broadcast a plea for surrender from the convict's mother. —USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb, Adjective, and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French convicter, from Latin convictus, past participle of convincere to refute, convict

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing convict

• escaped convict

• escaped convict

Kids 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

1 of 2 transitive verb

con·​vict kən-ˈvikt 

: to find guilty of a criminal offense

was convicted of fraud

compare acquit

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