convict

1 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

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

adjective

con·​vict kən-ˈvikt 

archaic

: having been convicted

Synonyms

Noun

• prisoner
• con
• inmate

Verb

• condemn
• sentence
• indict
• denounce
• punish
• accuse

Examples of convict in a Sentence

Noun

a warning that the three escaped convicts were armed and dangerous

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?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As part of the reformative aims of the convict system, many of these men were incarcerated at Fremantle Prison, trained, and put to work on infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads, and public buildings. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025

With one set of sisters on a convict ship set for Australia and the other managing haunting images, a strange skin condition, and stories of men going missing, I was utterly engrossed. —Kalie Cassidy july 25, Literary Hub, 25 July 2025

Verb

William Archie Fain, convicted of the 1967 killing of a teenage boy and rape of two teenage girls, was released on parole in 1983 to much outrage from the public, according to the Los Angeles Times. —Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2025

Months after being convicted of a high-end fraud scheme in South Florida, Grammy-winning singer Sean Kingston was sentenced on Friday to three-and-a-half years in prison and three years of supervised release. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, and Adjective

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing 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