convict

adjective

con·vict | \ kən-ˈvikt

Definition of convict

(Entry 1 of 3)

archaic

: having been convicted

convict

verb

con·vict | \ kən-ˈvikt

convicted; convicting; convicts

Definition of convict (Entry 2 of 3)

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

noun

con·vict | \ ˈkän-ˌvikt

Definition of convict (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a person convicted of and under sentence for a crime

2 : a person serving a usually long prison sentence

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about convict

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Synonyms & Antonyms for convict

Synonyms: Verb

condemn

Synonyms: Noun

con, jailbird

Antonyms: Verb

absolve, acquit, clear, exculpate, exonerate, vindicate

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

In November of 2018, a jury convicted Godejohn of first-degree murder. — Blake Bakkila, Good Housekeeping, "Who Is Nicholas Godejohn? Inside Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Relationship With Her Mother's Killer," 3 Apr. 2019 At his second trial, Syed, then 19, was convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "A Complete Timeline of The Case Against Adnan Syed," 31 Mar. 2019 She was convicted of second-degree murder, while Godejohn serves life for the first-degree murder of Dee Blanchard. — Alexis Jones, Marie Claire, "How True Is 'The Act'? The Hulu Series' Backstory Is Chilling," 20 Mar. 2019 If convicted of spying, Mr. Whelan could face 20 years in jail, according to Russian law. — Ann M. Simmons, WSJ, "American Charged With Spying in Russia ‘Didn’t Know He Had State Secrets’," 22 Jan. 2019 Well, for one, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, convicted on Thursday of a host of fraud and financial crimes. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: Can a Flagpole File a Harassment Lawsuit?," 10 Mar. 2019 The central issue in prosecutors’ petition is an Illinois law that allows a judge to sentence a person for only the most serious crime when he is convicted of multiple crimes for what amounts to a single act. — Don Babwin, The Seattle Times, "Prosecutors seek new sentence in Laquan McDonald case," 12 Feb. 2019 After two trials, and an uproar from community members who believed Coley was innocent, he was convicted of the crimes. — Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Win or lose, baseball's just as sweet for exonerated man," 11 July 2018 He was convicted in 2013 of strong-arm robbery in South Carolina, the Chronicle reported. — Chelsea Prince, ajc, "Georgia parents charged after 4-year-old son shoots, kills himself," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Sean Pelzer didn’t fit the standard profile of a State House lobbyist — not even a lobbyist on behalf of ex-convicts. — Adrian Walker, BostonGlobe.com, "Ex-offenders lose a tireless advocate," 3 July 2018 The arguments advanced on Ms. Johnson’s behalf were essentially the same that were made for thousands of other nonviolent drug convicts whose petitions for presidential clemency have been languishing at the Justice Department without action. — Peter Baker, New York Times, "Alice Marie Johnson Is Granted Clemency by Trump After Push by Kim Kardashian West," 6 June 2018 When a crime ceases to be a crime, common sense dictates that convicts ought to be freed of their criminal records. — Ted Rall, WSJ, "Criminal Records for Obsolete Crimes," 9 Jan. 2019 Enterprising convicts have made better tools out of bars of soap. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Please Never Ever Assemble Something With the Tools That Came With It," 31 Dec. 2018 Elsewhere on the 19th-century country estate, sheep graze in front of Gothic Revival sandstone buildings built by convicts in the early days of the colony. — Sarah Theeboom, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Next Country You Visit for Whisky? Australia," 16 Aug. 2018 More than 400 convicts now in prison were sentenced to death, although many have had their sentences commuted to life or are appealing. — Bharatha Mallawarachchi, Fox News, "Sri Lanka leader vows to end moratorium on death penalty," 23 July 2018 For decades, an obscure speck of an island—measuring less than one-third of one square mile—was the site of the brutalization of thousands of convicts and political prisoners amidst a luxurious British colonial settlement. — Neelima Vallangi, Smithsonian, "India’s Abandoned Island of Colonial Horror," 8 May 2018 Still, many ex-convicts continue to struggle to get hired. — Zolan Kanno-youngs, WSJ, "‘I Thought I Was Done For’: Tight Job Market Opens Doors for Ex-Convicts," 19 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'convict.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.