Convince

//kənˈvɪns// verb

verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence.

    "I wouldn't have or do something, unless I'm convinced that it's good."

  2. 2
    make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something wordnet
  3. 3
    To persuade.
  4. 4
    To overcome, conquer, vanquish. obsolete, transitive

    "[…]his two Chamberlaines / Will I with Wine, and Waſſell, ſo conuince, / That Memorie, the Warder of the Braine, / Shall be a Fume,[…]"

  5. 5
    To behave believably in a role; to make someone perceive oneself as the character being portrayed.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To confute; to prove wrong. obsolete, transitive

    "For hee mightily conuinced the Iewes, and that publikely, shewing by the scriptures, that Iesus was Christ."

  2. 7
    To prove guilty; to convict. obsolete, transitive

    "Which of you conuinceth mee of ſinne?"

Example

More examples

"You can talk until you're blue in the face, but you'll never convince me."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin convincō (“I refute, prove”), from con- + vincō (“I conquer, vanquish”). Doublet of convict. Displaced native Old English oferreċċan.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.