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

The company spent the better part of the twentieth century convincing Americans that the most valuable diamonds were heavy, brilliant, colorless, and free from internal flaws or external blemishes. —Emilia Petrarca, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026

Will a regime change convince him to reinvest himself in the program? —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026

Al Hilal are still optimistic about convincing him to prolong his stay in Saudi Arabia, so that should not be discounted, but Neves will be an important figure this month. —Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026

The Bay of Pigs convinced Castro and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev that the United States would attempt another invasion of Cuba. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 2 Jan. 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