# convince

Pronunciation: say "kuhn-VINS" /kənˈvɪns/

## Verb

1. To make someone believe or feel certain about something, especially through logic, argument, or evidence.
   - Simple: To make someone feel sure that something is true, often by giving good reasons.
   - _The data convinced most skeptics that the new treatment worked._
   - _Nothing the lawyer said could convince the panel of his client's innocence._
2. To persuade someone to do or agree to something.
   - Simple: To get someone to agree to do something.
   - _After hours of debate, they convinced the board to fund the project._
   - _He hoped to convince the committee to delay the vote._
3. To perform a role so believably that the audience accepts you as the character rather than the actor.
   - Simple: To act so well in a role that people believe you really are that character.
   - _He fails to convince as a hardened detective, smiling far too often._
   - _The lead actress convinces completely as a grieving mother._

## Verb

4. To overcome, conquer, or vanquish an adversary. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To beat or defeat someone completely in a fight.
5. To prove someone wrong; to refute a person or argument. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To show clearly that someone is wrong.
6. To prove someone guilty; to convict an accused person. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To prove that someone is guilty of a crime.

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin convincō ("I refute, prove"), formed from con- plus vincō ("I conquer, vanquish"). It is a doublet of convict and displaced the native Old English oferreċċan.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/convince (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).