What does "convert" mean?
A person who has converted to a religion.
Convert
/ˈkɒn.vət/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who has converted to a religion.
- Grammar: convert is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abuse, accepter, accommodate, actuate.
- Useful contrasts: apostates, keep, maintain.
- Usage evidence: You must convert dollars into the local currency.
How to use "convert"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "convert" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "convert" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "convert" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "convert" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "convert" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abuse" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "convert", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who has converted to a religion.
"They were all converts to Islam."
- 2 a person who has been converted to another religious or political belief wordnet
- 3 A person who is now in favour of something that they previously opposed or disliked.
"I never really liked broccoli before, but now that I've tasted it the way you cook it, I'm a convert!"
- 4 Anyone who has converted from being one thing to being another.
"A great advantage of these temporary conversions of a man into a beast is that it enables the convert in his animal shape to pay out his enemy without being suspected."
- 5 The equivalent of a conversion in rugby Canadian
Verb
- 1 To transform or change (something) into another form, substance, state, or product. transitive
"A kettle converts water into steam."
- 2 change in nature, purpose, or function; undergo a chemical change wordnet
- 3 To change (something) from one use, function, or purpose to another. transitive
"And the deff's further sayen that after the said b'gayn the said lambert compounded wt the said lychefeld ffor the moytie of the said Tymber stone glasse yren and tyle aforsaid by fforce whereof the said Lambert and Jane executrix of the testament of the said Thom's lychefeld haue broken and pulled down the stone walles & wyndoes of the said Churche dortr ffratr & cloyster & the same hath taken prceved & convertid to their p'per vses and behofe as lawfull was for the[m] to do by vertue of there said b'gayne & waraunt. All whiche mattrs the said def's ar redy to averre & p've as this hon'able cort shall award. And praye to be dysmyssed wt there resonable costs & charges for ther wrongfull vexac'on & trouble in this behalf."
- 4 change the nature, purpose, or function of something wordnet
- 5 To induce (someone) to adopt a particular religion, faith, ideology or belief (see also sense 12). transitive
"They converted her to Roman Catholicism on her deathbed."
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category wordnet
- 7 To exchange for something of equal value. transitive
"We converted our pounds into euros."
- 8 exchange a penalty for a less severe one wordnet
- 9 To express (a quantity) in alternative units. transitive
- 10 change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy wordnet
- 11 To express (a unit of measurement) in terms of another; to furnish a mathematical formula by which a quantity, expressed in the former unit, may be given in the latter. transitive
"How do you convert feet into metres?"
- 12 change religious beliefs, or adopt a religious belief wordnet
- 13 To appropriate wrongfully or unlawfully; to commit the common law tort of conversion. transitive
"The grand jury claims Terrigno "knowingly converted, for the benefit of herself and others, federal funds, which were intended to help the poor and homeless in the Los Angeles area.""
- 14 cause to adopt a new or different faith wordnet
- 15 To score extra points after (a try) by completing a conversion. ambitransitive
"Flood converted to leave Wales with a 23-9 deficit going into the final quarter."
- 16 make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something wordnet
- 17 To score extra points following a touchdown.
"Bass also kicked field goals of 40 and 49 yards, but he also missed a point-after try, which led to a 2-point conversion that the Bills converted later in the game."
- 18 score an extra point or points after touchdown by kicking the ball through the uprights or advancing the ball into the end zone wordnet
- 19 To score (especially a penalty kick). intransitive, transitive
"Hinton, inevitably, converted the penalty."
- 20 To score a spare. intransitive
- 21 To undergo a conversion of religion, faith or belief (see also sense 3). intransitive
"We've converted to Methodism."
- 22 To become converted. intransitive
"The chair converts into a bed."
- 23 To cause to turn; to turn. obsolete, transitive
"O, which way shall I first convert myself?"
- 24 To change (one proposition) into another, so that what was the subject of the first becomes the predicate of the second. transitive
- 25 To turn into another language; to translate. obsolete, transitive
"which story[…]Catullus more elegantly converted"
- 26 To increase one's individual score, especially from 50 runs (a fifty) to 100 runs (a century), or from a century to a double or triple century. transitive
"Gillespie was reminded he had promised to join team-mate Matthew Hayden in a nude lap of the ground if he converted his century into a double."
- 27 To perform the action that an online advertisement is intended to induce; to reach the point of conversion. intransitive
"Each time a user clicks on one of your adverts, you will be charged the bid amount whether the user converts or not."
- 28 To transform a material or positional advantage into a win. ambitransitive
"On the final day Marshall won a pawn as Black from another old rival, Hodges, but couldn't convert it and played on until a drawn king-and-pawn endgame."
Example
"You must convert dollars into the local currency."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "convert"?
Common synonyms include: abuse, accepter, accommodate, actuate, adapt, adapt.
How do you use "convert" in a sentence?
You must convert dollars into the local currency.
How do you pronounce "convert"?
Pronounced /ˈkɒn.vət/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *wert- Proto-Indo-European *wértetor Proto-Italic *wertō Proto-Italic *komwertō Latin convertōder. Old French convertirbor. Middle English converten English convert From Middle English converten, from Old French convertir, from Latin converto (“turn around”).