convict
v. · n.-
1 to find guilty (v.) B2 Upper Intermediate Lawto officially decide in a court of law that someone has committed a crime.
to find a defendant guilty of a specific charge through a formal legal process or jury verdict.
ExampleThe jury took only two hours to convict him of the robbery.
ExampleDespite the lack of physical evidence, the prosecution managed to convict the defendant based on several consistent eyewitness accounts.
UsageThis verb is transitive and typically takes the preposition 'of' before the crime.
- sentence
- find guilty
- acquit
- exonerate
PitfallThe jury convicted him for murder.The jury convicted him of murder.Use the preposition 'of' after convict to name the specific crime.
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2 a prisoner (n.) C1 Advanced Formal Lawa person who has been found guilty of a crime and is serving a sentence in prison.
a person found guilty of an offence and sentenced by a judicial body, often specifically one currently incarcerated.
ExampleThe escaped convict was caught by the police two days later.
ExampleThe prison reform programme aims to provide convicts with vocational skills to reduce the likelihood of reoffending upon their release.
Teacher's tipIn modern speech, 'prisoner' or 'inmate' is more common; 'convict' can sound more clinical or harsh.
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3 to feel moral guilt (v.) C2 Proficiency Formal Literary Religionto make someone feel very sure that they have done something wrong or sinful.
to cause a person to feel a strong sense of guilt or a conviction of sin, often in a moral or religious context.
ExampleHis conscience began to convict him for the lies he had told his family.
ExampleThe sermon was designed to convict the listeners of their spiritual apathy and move them toward a more active faith.
From Middle English convicten, from Anglo-Norman convicter, from Latin convictus, the past participle of convincō (“to convict”). Doublet of convince. Displaced native Old English forwyrċan (“to convict, condemn”).
- Verbconvict
- Nouncon