convince
verb /kənˈvɪns/
/kənˈvɪns/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they convince | /kənˈvɪns/ /kənˈvɪns/ |
| he / she / it convinces | /kənˈvɪnsɪz/ /kənˈvɪnsɪz/ |
| past simple convinced | /kənˈvɪnst/ /kənˈvɪnst/ |
| past participle convinced | /kənˈvɪnst/ /kənˈvɪnst/ |
| -ing form convincing | /kənˈvɪnsɪŋ/ /kənˈvɪnsɪŋ/ |
- to make somebody/yourself believe that something is true
- convince somebody/yourself Are the prime minister's assurances enough to convince the public?
- I'd be very surprised if this argument convinces anybody.
- to try/manage/fail to convince somebody/yourself
- She has managed to convince even the sceptics.
- convince somebody/yourself of something You'll need to convince them of your enthusiasm for the job.
- convince somebody/yourself (that)… I’d convinced myself (that) I was right.
- Will the president be able to convince voters that he deserves a second term?
- The experience convinced him that Europe was on the brink of a revolution.
- convince somebody to do something to persuade somebody to do something
- I've been trying to convince him to see a doctor.
Which Word? persuade / convincepersuade / convinceTopics Discussion and agreementb1- The main meaning of persuade is to make someone agree to do something by giving them good reasons for doing it:
- I tried to persuade her to see a doctor.
- He convinced me he was right.
- It is quite common, however, for each of these words to be used with both meanings, especially for convince to be used as a synonym for persuade:
- I persuaded/convinced her to see a doctor.
Word Originmid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘overcome, defeat in argument’): from Latin convincere, from con- ‘with’ + vincere ‘conquer’. Compare with convict.