Convince

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Convince \Con*vince"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Convinced}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Convincing}.] [L. convincere, -victum, to refute,
     prove; con- + vincere to conquer. See {Victor}, and cf.
     {Convict}.]
     1. To overpower; to overcome; to subdue or master. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]


  
              His two chamberlains
              Will I with wine and wassail so convince
              That memory, the warder of the brain,
              Shall be a fume.                      --Shak.
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     2. To overcome by argument; to force to yield assent to
        truth; to satisfy by proof.
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              Such convincing proofs and assurances of it as might
              enable them to convince others.       --Atterbury.
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     3. To confute; to prove the fallacy of. [Obs.]
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              God never wrought miracle to convince atheism,
              because his ordinary works convince it. --Bacon.
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     4. To prove guilty; to convict. [Obs.]
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              Which of you convinceth me of sin?    --John viii.
                                                    46.
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              Seek not to convince me of a crime
              Which I can ne'er repent, nor you can pardon.
                                                    --Dryden.
  
     Syn: To persuade; satisfy; convict.
  
     Usage: To {Convince}, {persuade}. To convince is an act of
            the understanding; to persuade, of the will or
            feelings. The one is effected by argument, the other
            by motives. There are cases, however, in which
            persuade may seem to be used in reference only to the
            assent of the understanding; as when we say, I am
            persuaded it is so; I can not persuade myself of the
            fact. But in such instances there is usually or always
            a degree of awakened feeling which has had its share
            in producing the assent of the understanding.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  convince
       v : make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or
           validity of something; "He had finally convinced several
           customers of the advantages of his product" [syn: {convert},
            {win over}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  46 Moby Thesaurus words for "convince":
     argue into, assure, be convincing, bring around, bring home to,
     bring over, bring round, bring to reason, captivate,
     carry conviction, charm, con, convert, convict, draw, draw over,
     drive home to, evangelize, gain, gain over, get, hook, hook in,
     inspire belief, lead to believe, outtalk, persuade, prevail,
     prevail on, prevail upon, prevail with, prompt, proselyte,
     proselytize, satisfy, sell, sell one on, sway, talk into,
     talk over, wangle, wangle into, wean, wear down, win, win over