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

So far, Siemens has managed to persuade companies to share their data in return for access to its AI model and the ability to request new use cases. — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

RatHat relies heavily on persuading people to sideload malicious apps. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Rivera said reading Against All Hope, Cuban political prisoner Armando Valladares’ memoir, while attending FIU persuaded him to abandon plans to become a sportswriter and devote his life to political and human-rights causes. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

The food is healthy, fresh, and inventive enough to persuade you to dine in for at least a couple of nights, in spite of Ubud’s strong and growing food scene. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 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