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View synonyms for convince

convince

[ kuhn-vins ]

verb (used with object)

, con·vinced, con·vinc·ing.
  1. to move by argument or evidence to belief, agreement, consent, or a course of action:

    Ample evidence convinced the jury of his guilt.

    A test drive will convince you that this car handles well.

    Synonyms: satisfy

  2. to persuade; cajole:

    We finally convinced them to have dinner with us.

  3. Obsolete. to prove or find guilty.
  4. Obsolete. to overcome; vanquish.


convince

/ kənˈvɪns /

verb

  1. may take a clause as object to make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something; persuade
  2. to persuade (someone) to do something
  3. obsolete.
    1. to overcome
    2. to prove guilty


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Usage Note

Convince, an often stated rule says, may be followed only by that or of, never by to: We convinced him that he should enter (not convinced him to enter ) the contest. He was convinced of the wisdom of entering. In examples to support the rule, convince is often contrasted with persuade, which may take to, of, or that followed by the appropriate construction: We persuaded him to seek counseling (or of his need for counseling or that he should seek counseling ). The history of usage does not support the rule. Convince (someone) to has been in use since the 16th century and, despite objections by some, occurs freely today in all varieties of speech and writing and is fully standard: Members of the cabinet are trying to convince the prime minister not to resign.

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Usage

The use of convince to talk about persuading someone to do something is considered by many British speakers to be wrong or unacceptable

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Derived Forms

  • conˈvincible, adjective
  • conˈvincement, noun
  • conˈvincer, noun

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Other Words From

  • con·vinc·er noun
  • con·vin·ci·ble adjective
  • con·vinc·i·bil·i·ty [k, uh, n-vin-s, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
  • pre·con·vince verb (used with object) preconvinced preconvincing
  • re·con·vince verb (used with object) reconvinced reconvincing
  • un·con·vin·ci·ble adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of convince1

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin convincere “to prove (something) false or true, (somebody) right or wrong,” equivalent to con- con- + vincere “to overcome”; victor

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Word History and Origins

Origin of convince1

C16: from Latin convincere to demonstrate incontrovertibly, from com- (intensive) + vincere to overcome, conquer

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Example Sentences

The deal intends to shift TikTok’s cloud business to Oracle, which nevertheless doesn’t yet seem to have convinced the caudillo that a non-ownership deal is a good idea.

From Fortune

We got a glimpse Wednesday of just how dependent the president is on convincing Americans a vaccine is coming to end this pandemic in months.

So I’m willing to work with any leader that comes close to that, who will sit down and listen to me and be open to being convinced that that is where we are right now with the issues.

From Ozy

For most people in the study, the only thing that changed in their lives was that some random researchers tried to convince them to do something new.

From Fortune

Thomas Courtney teaches fifth grade at Chollas-Mead Elementary, where his public school’s customer service convinced him to bring his daughter Onora, who is thriving academically and socially.

Turkey is not the only country trying to convince the private sector that domestic violence is their problem, too.

Whether or not Risner will be able to convince a federal judge that the U.S. should be held responsible, is another story.

The only way to stop cops from killing young, unarmed black men is to convince Americans that their lives truly matter.

A visit to WoodRocket.com is enough to convince anyone of the truth in that.

“As a teenager, I tried to convince myself I had imagined it,” wrote Bowman.

It took years to convince Tim of that, and we consoled ourselves that at least it had been drawn by one who was there.

A little fighting, to convince ministers that we can't be frightened, and all will be well.

I shall try to convince you that it is also materially better than the accepted, or Christian, method.

You have been taking pains to convince me that Maude's love was not mine, that she was only forced into the marriage with me.

I'm staying here because if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to convince you that I'm not a killer.

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