convince

verb

con·​vince kən-ˈvin(t)s How to pronounce convince (audio)
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 rightWilliam Faulkner
something I could never convince him to readJohn Lahr
2
obsolete
a
: to overcome by argument
3
obsolete : demonstrate, prove
convincer noun

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 Classified documents Former President Donald Trump appeared in court Thursday as his lawyers tried to convince a judge that his classified documents case should be thrown out based on unconstitutional vagueness. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 The first step in any negotiation is convincing yourself. Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 14 Mar. 2024 Her biggest challenge was convincing organizations and fundgivers to believe in her and creating partnerships. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Washington — Former President Donald Trump's lawyers will be trying to convince a federal judge in Florida Thursday to dismiss special counsel Jack Smith's classified documents case against him. Robert Legare, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 Eya pleads with the crew to convince Mastoura to come back and finish their big scene. Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 When Zaidi brought up the idea of bringing in Jorge Soler, Flores enthusiastically agreed to join a Zoom call with Estrada that ultimately helped convince the Cuban slugger to sign with San Francisco, directly cutting into Flores’ potential playing time. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 The Feds allege that, using Facebook and Instagram, Almeida groomed an underage girl between July and December 2021, sending her explicit images of himself and convincing her to produce and send CSAM of herself. Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors revealed that Miller-Whitehead, under the guise of aiding one of his parishioners in purchasing a home, convinced her to invest approximately $90,000 of her retirement savings. Manahil Ahmad, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'convince.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of convince was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near convince

Cite this Entry

“Convince.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convince. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

convince

verb
con·​vince kən-ˈvin(t)s How to pronounce convince (audio)
convinced; convincing
: to make a person agree or believe by arguing or showing evidence
convinced me it was true
convincer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on convince

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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