convince

verb

con·​vince kən-ˈvin(t)s 

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 right …

—William Faulkner

something I could never convince him to read

—John Lahr

2

obsolete

a

: to overcome by argument

b

: overpower, overcome

3

obsolete : demonstrate, prove

convincer noun

Synonyms of convince

• persuade
• satisfy
• bring

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

Yurtseven’s three straight double-doubles with RGV helped convince the Warriors to sign him over Santa Cruz Warriors center — and NBA veteran — Charles Bassey, who subsequently signed a 10-day deal with the Boston Celtics. —Jon Becker, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026

It had been carried out explicitly to convince people like him. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026

The other 32 states plan to continue trying to convince a jury that Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, are squelching competition and driving up prices for fans. —Larry Neumeister, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026

And plenty of humans would appreciate a better understanding of how to convince trash pandas a puzzle isn’t worth investigating any more. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for convince

• evince
• mince
• prince
• quince
• rinse
• since
• wince

Kids Definition

convince

verb

con·​vince kən-ˈvin(t)s 

convinced; convincing

: to make a person agree or believe by arguing or showing evidence

convinced me it was true

convincer noun