convince

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin convincō (“I refute, prove”), from con- + vincō (“I conquer, vanquish”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /kənˈvɪns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪns

Verb

convince (third-person singular simple present convinces, present participle convincing, simple past and past participle convinced)

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.

   • (Can we date this quote by Atterbury and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     Such convincing proofs and assurances of it as might enable them to convince others.

2. To persuade.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To overcome, conquer, vanquish.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     His two chamberlains / Will I with wine and wassail so convince / That memory, the warder of the brain, / Shall be a fume.

4. (obsolete, transitive) To confute; to prove wrong.
   • (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     God never wrought miracle to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it.

5. (obsolete, transitive) To prove guilty; to convict.
   • Bible, John viii. 46

     Which of you convinceth me of sin?

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     Seek not to convince me of a crime / Which I can ne'er repent, nor you can pardon.

Synonyms

• persuade
• satisfy
• assure
• convert
• win over

Related terms

• convict
• conviction
• convincible
• convincingly

 

Translations

to make someone believe, or feel sure about something

• Arabic: أَقْنَعَ‎ (ʾaqnaʿa)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: запэ́ўніваць impf (zapéŭnivacʹ), запэ́ўніць pf (zapéŭnicʹ)
• Bulgarian: убеждавам (bg) (ubeždavam)
• Catalan: convèncer (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 說服 (zh), 说服 (zh) (shuōfú)

• Czech: přesvědčit (cs)
• Dutch: overtuigen (nl)
• Esperanto: konvinki
• Estonian: veenma (et)
• Finnish: vakuuttaa (fi)
• French: convaincre (fr), persuader (fr)
• Georgian: დარწმუნება (darc̣muneba)
• German: überzeugen (de)
• Greek: πείθω (el) (peítho)

  Ancient Greek: πείθω (peíthō)

• Hebrew: שכנע‎ (he) (shikhnéa)
• Hungarian: meggyőz (hu)
• Icelandic: sannfæra (is)
• Italian: convincere (it)
• Japanese: 説得する (ja) (せっとくする, settoku-surú), 納得させる (ja) (nattoku-saseru), 自覚させる (ja) (jikaku-saseru)
• Khmer: ប្រលោម (km) (prɑlaom), អន្ទង (km) (ɑntɔɔŋ), បញ្ចុះបញ្ចូល (bɑɲcoh bɑɲcool)

• Latin: persuadere, (to have oneself convinced) sibi persuasum habere, convinco
• Maltese: ikkonvinċa
• Maori: whakapakepake, whakakīkī, whakawhere
• Mongolian: итгүүлэх (itgüüleh), үнэмшүүлэх (ünemšüüleh)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overbevise (no)

• Polish: przekonywać (pl), przekonać (pl)
• Portuguese: convencer (pt)
• Romanian: convinge (ro)
• Romansch: cunventscher, conventscher, persvader, parschuader
• Russian: убежда́ть (ru) impf (ubeždátʹ), убеди́ть (ru) pf (ubedítʹ)
• Sardinian: cumbínchere, cumbinci, cumbínghere, cunvinci, cunvínciri
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: у̀вјерити, убе́дити

  Roman: ùvjeriti (sh), ubéditi (sh)

• Sicilian: cunvìnciri (scn), cummìnciri (scn)
• Slovene: prepríčati
• Spanish: convencer (es)
• Swedish: övertyga (sv)
• Telugu: నమ్మించు (te) (nammiñcu), ఒప్పించు (te) (oppiñcu)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: convince (tr)
• Venetian: convinçer, convinser, convinçar
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

---

Italian

Verb

convince

1. third-person singular present of convincere

---

Latin

Verb

convince

1. second-person singular present active imperative of convincō