persuaded; persuading
1
: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action
2
: to plead with : urge
persuader
noun
Synonyms
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
Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, say Dodgers security personnel persuaded her to surrender the ball for a bat, a ball and two caps, all autographed by Ohtani.
—
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The defense ultimately persuaded the prosecutors to drop the charge, pending further testing on the gun.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
In addition to the vigorous legal pushback against the union’s win, the company has continued to spend millions on labor consultants who often try to persuade workers against joining a union.
—Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
The campaign right now has the money to organize and run TV ads to try to persuade them.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 7 Apr. 2024
Every few weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel to express increasing concern about Israel’s war actions, and to neighboring Arab states to try to persuade them to help find a way to forge a postwar peace plan that Jerusalem couldn’t refuse.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The organization had tried to persuade lawmakers to consider reforms for years but The Republic's series finally helped get their attention.
—Wyatt Buchanan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Giorgia Meloni: The Italian prime minister helped persuade the Hungarian leader, Viktor Orban, to go along with a landmark E.U. fund for Ukraine.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Miami police and fire rescue negotiators got on a fire truck ladder after 7 a.m. to persuade Smith to come down, Miami police spokesman Officer Michael Vega told the Miami Herald.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The defense ultimately persuaded the prosecutors to drop the charge, pending further testing on the gun.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
In addition to the vigorous legal pushback against the union’s win, the company has continued to spend millions on labor consultants who often try to persuade workers against joining a union.
—Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
The campaign right now has the money to organize and run TV ads to try to persuade them.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 7 Apr. 2024
Every few weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel to express increasing concern about Israel’s war actions, and to neighboring Arab states to try to persuade them to help find a way to forge a postwar peace plan that Jerusalem couldn’t refuse.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The organization had tried to persuade lawmakers to consider reforms for years but The Republic's series finally helped get their attention.
—Wyatt Buchanan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Giorgia Meloni: The Italian prime minister helped persuade the Hungarian leader, Viktor Orban, to go along with a landmark E.U. fund for Ukraine.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Miami police and fire rescue negotiators got on a fire truck ladder after 7 a.m. to persuade Smith to come down, Miami police spokesman Officer Michael Vega told the Miami Herald.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'persuade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near persuade
Cite this Entry
“Persuade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/persuade. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
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
adjective
-ˈswād-ə-bəl
persuader
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on persuade
Nglish: Translation of persuade for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of persuade for Arabic Speakers
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