persuade

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verb per·suade \ pər-ˈswād \

Definition of persuade

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

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persuader

noun

See persuade defined for English-language learners

See persuade defined for kids

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 of persuade from the Web

In the meantime, Flynn persuaded the conservative Bradley Foundation to hire one of his mentors to evaluate the department's actions in the wake of the shooting.

— jsonline.com, "Trust damaged between Milwaukee police and community, Department of Justice draft report says," 30 Aug. 2017
Scott de Marchi, who teaches political science at Duke University, says his research suggests approval ratings tend to affect whether a president can persuade Congress to do his or her bidding.

— Washington Post, "Trump’s low approval ratings set an unwanted record," 26 Aug. 2017
Around the end of November, Ajit persuaded Trae to go to New York with him for an important work trip.

— ellen pao, The Cut, "This Is How Sexism Works in Silicon Valley," 20 Aug. 2017
Two fans would then attempt to persuade him to give them the ball.

— miamiherald, "Master Yogi Berra, the only dog to be ejected from a professional baseball game, dies," 17 Aug. 2017
Councilman Kevin Coyne and Mayor Steve Chirico supported Krummen's proposal, but were unsuccessful in persuading the rest of the council.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville to license taxi companies instead of individual drivers," 17 Aug. 2017
A commander sometimes could be persuaded to change sides—or maybe to at least sit this one out if the attackers made their threats fearful enough or bribes big enough.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "How to Storm a Castle," 10 Aug. 2017
Wahooz is reaching out to other businesses and organizations to join the Save Idaho Summers Coalition and help persuade the district to leave the schedule alone.

— anna webb, idahostatesman, "That proposal to start Boise’s school year earlier? This business is fighting it," 31 July 2017
After another round of pleading, Genevieve persuaded chef Tom Cunanan to finally give us the recipe.

— chris morocco, Bon Appetit, "This Condiment Is Sweet, Spicy, Garlicky and Just Ridiculously Good," 26 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'persuade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.