convert 1 of 2

Definition of convertnext
1
as in to influence
to persuade to change to one's religious faith young missionaries who go door-to-door trying to convert people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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convert

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word convert different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of convert are metamorphose, transfigure, transform, transmogrify, and transmute. While all these words mean "to change a thing into a different thing," convert implies a change fitting something for a new or different use or function.

converted the study into a nursery

When is it sensible to use metamorphose instead of convert?

The meanings of metamorphose and convert largely overlap; however, metamorphose suggests an abrupt or startling change induced by or as if by magic or a supernatural power.

awkward girls metamorphosed into graceful ballerinas

In what contexts can transfigure take the place of convert?

The words transfigure and convert are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, transfigure implies a change that exalts or glorifies.

joy transfigured her face

When can transform be used instead of convert?

While the synonyms transform and convert are close in meaning, transform implies a major change in form, nature, or function.

transformed a small company into a corporate giant

When could transmogrify be used to replace convert?

The synonyms transmogrify and convert are sometimes interchangeable, but transmogrify suggests a strange or preposterous metamorphosis.

a story in which a frog is transmogrified into a prince

When would transmute be a good substitute for convert?

While in some cases nearly identical to convert, transmute implies transforming into a higher element or thing.

attempted to transmute lead into gold

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of convert
Verb
The weak yen has boosted the competitiveness of exporters such as Toyota by making its products cheaper for foreign buyers and increasing the value of overseas profits when converted back into the currency. Justina Lee, CNBC, 8 May 2026 By 2013, the Bureau of Street Lighting had swapped more than half of the city’s 220,000 high-pressure sodium lamps with LED bulbs, and the department has systematically converted the rest in the years since. Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Noun
The actor and comedian, who was married to Katy Perry, has reinvented himself as a Christian convert who evangelizes about free speech and free thinking in MAGA America. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026 In the world of knots, a polynomial converts measurements on a knot into a combination of numbers and variables raised to powers, such as 3x7 + 8. Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for convert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convert
Verb
  • Viral social media videos are influencing consumer choices — and brands are responding.
    Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 7 May 2026
  • The case was overturned on appeal after Glover’s attorneys argued that the jury’s deliberations were influenced by a prosecution PowerPoint presentation that had been sent to the jury room by mistake along with evidence from the trial.
    Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • The previous two artists to take over the pavilion, Simone Leigh (2022) and Jeffrey Gibson (2024), sought to radically transform the Palladian structure in the center of the Giardini, built in 1930.
    Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026
  • Minab has been transformed into a landscape of collective grief, where the rhythm of daily life now includes frequent visits to the cemetery, where small graves are arranged in neat rows, just steps apart, mimicking the order of a school assembly.
    Zohreh Saberi, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • Araghchi questioned whether the latest military exchange was meant to pressure Iran into a peace deal or the result of someone persuading the president of the United States (POTUS) to extend the conflict.
    Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 May 2026
  • Historically, Angelenos didn’t need to be persuaded to ride the train.
    Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
Verb
  • More recently, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco has drawn scrutiny for using his position as Riverside County sheriff to seize some 650,000 ballots in the county to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
  • Investigators recovered a 9 mm SIG Sauer handgun, according to the filing, and seized electronic devices as part of the investigation.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • Illinois Wesleyan recruit Conor McCabe went 2-for-4 and delivered a three-run double in the fifth inning to put the Knights (13-11, 6-5) ahead for good.
    Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
  • The 2022 crash killed sheriff’s recruit Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza and seriously injured 10 others.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Noun
  • Scientology is a religious group shrouded in privacy that has garnered attention for its celebrity adherents, including Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
    Joe Kottke, NBC news, 3 May 2026
  • He’d been struck that the Milwaukee branch of the adherents to his cause were forever boasting about their superior sanitation systems.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Opponents have argued that hanging the Ten Commandments in classrooms proselytizes to students and amounts to religious indoctrination by the government.
    ABC News, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • For the other Massachusetts millenials out there, Bertucci’s (and those of us who proselytize it) did get a shoutout.
    Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Good luck convincing the Atlanta Braves that Freddie Freeman was in a home run drought.
    Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 9 May 2026
  • This removes the sap from the outer petals, convincing the bud to open quickly.
    Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Convert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convert. Accessed 11 May. 2026.

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