convict

[ verb, adjective kuhn-vikt; noun kon-vikt ]
See synonyms for convict on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to prove or declare guilty of an offense, especially after a legal trial: to convict a prisoner of a felony.

  2. to impress with a sense of guilt.

noun
  1. a person proved or declared guilty of an offense.

  2. a person serving a prison sentence.

adjective
  1. Archaic. convicted.

Origin of convict

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb convicten, from Latin convictus, past participle of convincere, equivalent to con- “with, together” + vic-, variant stem of vincere “to overcome” + -tus past participle suffix; Middle English noun convict “(a) convict,” adjective convict “convicted,” past participle of convicten “to convince” (or directly from Latin ); see con-, convince

Other words from convict

  • con·vict·a·ble, con·vict·i·ble, adjective
  • con·vic·tive, adjective
  • con·vic·tive·ly, adverb
  • pre·con·vict, verb (used with object)
  • re·con·vict, verb (used with object)
  • un·con·vict·ing, adjective
  • un·con·vic·tive, adjective

Words Nearby convict

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use convict in a sentence

  • Weary of the day's routine, I welcome the solitude of the cell, impatient even of the greeting of the passing convict.

    Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
  • While a jury might refuse to convict on circumstantial evidence a detective is not so deterred.

  • It is hard to forgive an inferior for the wrong which he may convict us with; hence he grew heated as his daughter cooled.

    Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander Dumas
  • For six long months a court of inquiry sat, but it could not get evidence enough to convict a single man.

  • At the dinner hour Schiller left my fare to the convict Kunda, who brought me some water, while Schiller stood outside.

British Dictionary definitions for convict

convict

verb(kənˈvɪkt) (tr)
  1. to pronounce (someone) guilty of an offence

noun(ˈkɒnvɪkt)
  1. a person found guilty of an offence against the law, esp one who is sentenced to imprisonment

  2. a person serving a prison sentence

adjective(kənˈvɪkt)
  1. obsolete convicted

Origin of convict

1
C14: from Latin convictus convicted of crime, from convincere to prove guilty, convince

Derived forms of convict

  • convictable or convictible, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012