convince

English

Etymology

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

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.

   • 1718, Francis Atterbury, sermon preached on Easter Day at Westminster Abbey

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

2. To persuade.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To overcome, conquer, vanquish.
   • c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene vii], page 135:

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

4. (obsolete, transitive) To confute; to prove wrong.
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, “Of Atheisme. XVI.”, in The Essayes […], London: […] Iohn Haviland […], published 1632, OCLC 863527675, page 90:

     And therfore, God neuer wrought Miracle, to conuince Atheiſme, becauſe his Ordinary Works conuince it.

5. (obsolete, transitive) To prove guilty; to convict.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, John 8:46, column 1:

     Which of you conuinceth mee of ſinne?

   • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 6484883, Act II, page 18:

     O ſeek not to convince me of a Crime / Which I can ne'er repent, nor can you 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 (ar) (ʾaqnaʿa)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: inandırmaq (az)
• 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)

• Old English: oferreccan, oferstǣlan
• 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)
• Ukrainian: переко́нувати impf (perekónuvaty), перекона́ти pf (perekonáty)
• Venetian: convinçer, convinser, convinçar
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

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Italian

Verb

convince

1. third-person singular present of convincere

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Latin

Verb

convince

1. second-person singular present active imperative of convincō

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Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuŋˈviŋt͡ʃe/

Verb

convince

1. to convince

Related terms

• convinsion