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

After learning that the bear who raised him after his parents died has gone missing, Paddington convinces his adoptive family to join him on a quest to Darkest Peru to find and rescue his Aunt Lucy. —Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025

Fill out the rest of your cold-weather capsule with a trendy zip sweater and the leggings that’ll convince you to stick to those New Year’s resolutions. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 26 Dec. 2025

Their tension has left an opening for Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) to convince Eleven to partake in her own self-destructive plan heading into the finale. —Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025

Even then, there’s the task of convincing people to actually use it. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025

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