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 of persuade

• convince
• satisfy

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

And yet Ulysses brings about the death of all his men, who, having been persuaded, follow their leader and are drowned in a furious storm. —Claudia Roth Pierpont, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

His girlfriend immediately started persuading him to write a piece for AFM, on the basis that the editing would be rigorous and the pay, most appealingly, would be premium. —Julia Hass, Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025

Could he be persuaded to do a Tom Felton and reprise a Harry Potter role on Broadway? —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 24 Nov. 2025

But Mamdani’s primary win persuaded her to speed up the process. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for persuade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

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