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convince

/kənˈvɪns//kənˈvɪns/·verb
to make someone believe or agree through evidence or argument
Fig. 1 — One of them works a board with a pointer, walking the other through the numbers bar by bar.
01Definition

To convince someone is to bring their mind over to your side — to make them believe something or agree to act, by force of evidence or argument rather than by orders. From Latin convincere, 'to overcome thoroughly', the winning happens inside the other person: a fact, not a threat, does the work. It usually takes 'convince someone of something' or 'convince someone to do something'. Note that a plausible case is not yet a convincing one — plausibility only opens the door; conviction walks the listener through it.

02In use
  • iA plausible story is easy to tell; a convincing one has to survive every hard question.
  • iiIt took months of coherent evidence to convince the board to fund the trial.
  • iiiCharm alone rarely convinces a sceptic; only the weight of the facts does.
03Collocations
  • convince someone of
  • fully convinced
  • hard to convince
  • convince the jury

Family convinced (adjective) · convincing (adjective) · conviction (noun)

04Relations

=persuade, satisfy, assure, win over, sway

≠dissuade, deter, discourage

06TOEFL & IELTS

A core verb for IELTS argument essays. Use convince somebody OF a fact or convince somebody TO act, and reach for 'convincing' as a strong adjective for evidence. Don't confuse the result-focused convince (the mind is changed) with persuade, which leans toward getting an action. The opposite tactic is to deter.

07Asked
What is the difference between convince and persuade?
The traditional split is belief versus action: you convince someone of a fact (you change what they think) and persuade someone to act (you change what they do). You can convince a jury the defendant is guilty; you persuade a friend to come along. Everyday usage blurs the line, but exam writing rewards keeping it.
Is it 'convince someone to do' or 'convince someone of'?
The careful patterns are convince someone OF something and convince someone THAT it is true. 'Convince someone to do' is now extremely common, but some examiners still prefer persuade for the action sense. Safest in formal writing: convince of a belief, persuade to an action.
What does 'convincing' mean, and what makes evidence convincing?
Convincing evidence is strong enough to overcome doubt and carry belief — not merely possible, but compelling. The scene above draws the threshold exactly: the low bars leave the listener's arms crossed; only the final towering jump cracks the scowl into a nod. Plausible opens the door; convincing walks the listener through it.
What is the noun form of convince?
Conviction — 'she spoke with conviction' means with settled belief. Watch the double life: the same noun is the legal word for a guilty verdict ('a prior conviction'). Both grow from the Latin convincere, 'to overcome thoroughly' — one overcomes doubt, the other overcomes the defence.
What is the difference between convince and assure?
To convince is to defeat doubt with evidence; to assure is to remove worry with a promise ('I assure you it's safe'). Assurance asks for trust in the speaker; conviction is produced by the argument itself. You reassure the anxious; you convince the sceptical — different problems, different verbs.
What is the opposite of convince?
There is no neat single antonym, which is telling. To leave someone unconvinced is to fail to move them; to talk them out of a course is to dissuade or deter; to argue them into a different belief is still to convince, just of something else. English has many words for changing a mind and none for un-changing it.