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

Winning unaffiliated voters can require a tightrope walk for candidates who are faced with the dual tasks of appealing to their party base while persuading independent constituents. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Her children had persuaded her to support him in the Democratic primary. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

Macron's controversial pension reforms illustrate the difficulty of persuading French voters to accept reductions in longstanding public benefits, Feigenbaum argued. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Text-message codes can be vulnerable when an attacker persuades a mobile carrier to transfer a victim’s number to the attacker’s phone. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

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