persuade

verb

per·​suade pər-ˈswād 

persuaded; persuading

transitive verb

1

: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action

2

: to plead with : urge

persuader noun

Synonyms

• argue
• bring
• bring around
• convert
• convince
• gain
• get
• induce
• move
• prevail (on or upon)
• satisfy
• talk (into)
• win (over)

Examples of persuade in a Sentence

He persuaded his friend to go back to school.

She couldn't be persuaded to go.

He would not let himself be persuaded into buying the more expensive stereo.

I am not easily persuaded.

They persuaded us that we were wrong.

He persuaded himself that he had made the right choice.

Recent Examples on the Web

Four vulnerabilities in WebKit were fixed in iOS 18.2, allowing memory corruption if you were persuaded to interact with malicious web content. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

For Democrats who agree with Raskin, no amount of calls for returning to normalcy will persuade them to attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024

However, opponents of the plan persuaded a local judge last spring to agree to remove the override language, creating a dilemma for county officials. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2024

The professional services and other perks that came with TikTok’s support, however, persuaded her to reconsider. —Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin persuadēre, from per- thoroughly + suadēre to advise, urge — more at sweet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

persuade

verb

per·​suade pər-ˈswād 

persuaded; persuading

: to win over to a belief or to a course of action by argument or earnest request

persuadable

-ˈswād-ə-bəl

adjective

persuader noun