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Definition of conviction
1 : the act or process of finding a person guilty of a crime especially in a court of law
2a : the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truthb : the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth
3a : a strong persuasion or beliefb : the state of being convinced
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Examples of conviction in a Sentence
… a perfect example, I told Bobby, … why Realtors have to be prepared to work holidays. “Well, yeah,” he said, utterly without conviction. —Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003
It was his conviction that if the words in the story were blurred because of the author's insensitivity, carelessness, or sentimentality, then the story suffered from a tremendous handicap. —Raymond Carver, The Story and Its Writer, edited by Ann Charters, 1987
She spoke in … the voice which people often used to express their deepest convictions … —Paula Fox, A Servant's Tale, 1984
Certainly the basis of our democracy is the conviction of the worth of the individual. —Robert Penn Warren, Democracy and Poetry, (1975) 1976
She hopes to avoid conviction.
In light of the evidence, a conviction seems certain.
He has three prior drunk-driving convictions.
Convictions for shoplifting have made it difficult for her to get a job.
a person of deep convictions
They share my strong conviction that the policy is misguided.
Recent Examples of conviction from the Web
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His case is the first in which lying to the French Senate has led to a criminal conviction.
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Alabama law specifically prohibits the release of voter Social Security numbers, leaving only the request for information on felony convictions, voter registration in another state, military status and overseas citizenship in question.
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Because the third target had a history of drug and weapon convictions, the officers were especially wary that this stop might be dangerous.
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A conviction could land McFarland in prison for up to 20 years.
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Sting Like a Bee begins in 1966, two years after Ali won the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, and takes readers through the 1971 Supreme Court decision reversing Ali's draft-dodging conviction.
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Originally sentenced to six years in prison, Mr. Olmert had his prison term reduced significantly after the Israeli Supreme Court overturned a main part of his conviction relating to the housing project.
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Decades later, that conviction on his record didn’t prevent Leary from becoming a host for young foreign-exchange students.
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The conviction was reversed on a technicality, but the law was permitted to stand.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conviction'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of conviction
see 2convict
Synonym Discussion of conviction
opinion, view, belief, conviction, persuasion, sentiment mean a judgment one holds as true. opinion implies a conclusion thought out yet open to dispute. each expert seemed to have a different opinion view suggests a subjective opinion. very assertive in stating his views belief implies often deliberate acceptance and intellectual assent. a firm belief in her party's platform conviction applies to a firmly and seriously held belief. the conviction that animal life is as sacred as human persuasion suggests a belief grounded on assurance (as by evidence) of its truth. was of the persuasion that everything changes sentiment suggests a settled opinion reflective of one's feelings. her feminist sentiments are well-known
Other Legal Terms
CONVICTION Defined for English Language Learners
conviction
playDefinition of conviction for English Language Learners
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law : the act of proving that a person is guilty of a crime in a court of law
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: a strong belief or opinion
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: the feeling of being sure that what you believe or say is true
CONVICTION Defined for Kids
conviction
playDefinition of conviction for Students
1 : a strong belief or opinion political convictions
2 : the state of mind of a person who is sure that what he or she believes or says is true She spoke with conviction.
3 : the act of proving or finding guilty : the state of being proven guilty He appealed his conviction.
Law Dictionary
conviction
Legal Definition of conviction
1 : the act or process of convicting; also : the final judgment entered after a finding of guilt a prior conviction of murder would not overturn the conviction — compare acquittal Editor's note: Jurisdictions differ as to what constitutes conviction for various statutes (as habitual offender statutes). Conviction is rarely applied to civil cases.
2 : guilt the judge will enter a judgment of conviction — W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
Learn More about conviction
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See words that rhyme with conviction Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for conviction Spanish Central: Translation of conviction Nglish: Translation of conviction for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of conviction for Arabic speakers
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