Word
convict
Phoneticscon·vict, stress on the first syllable
/ˈkɑnvɪkt/
Definitions
01to find guilty
B2 · Upper Intermediate Law
v. to officially decide in a court of law that someone has committed a crime.
v. to find a defendant guilty of a specific charge through a formal legal process or jury verdict.
“The jury took only two hours to convict him of the robbery.”
“Despite the lack of physical evidence, the prosecution managed to convict the defendant based on several consistent eyewitness accounts.”
Usage
This verb is transitive and typically takes the preposition 'of' before the crime.
Pitfall
The jury convicted him for murder.
The jury convicted him of murder.
Use the preposition 'of' after convict to name the specific crime.
Synonyms
02a prisoner
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Law Formal
n. a person who has been found guilty of a crime and is serving a sentence in prison.
n. a person found guilty of an offence and sentenced by a judicial body, often specifically one currently incarcerated.
“The escaped convict was caught by the police two days later.”
“The prison reform programme aims to provide convicts with vocational skills to reduce the likelihood of reoffending upon their release.”
Teaching tip
In modern speech, 'prisoner' or 'inmate' is more common; 'convict' can sound more clinical or harsh.
03to feel moral guilt
C2 · Proficiency Religion Formal · Literary
v. to make someone feel very sure that they have done something wrong or sinful.
v. to cause a person to feel a strong sense of guilt or a conviction of sin, often in a moral or religious context.
“His conscience began to convict him for the lies he had told his family.”
“The sermon was designed to convict the listeners of their spiritual apathy and move them toward a more active faith.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “convict” in context.
Verb
01. convict the suspect of murder
“The jury took less than three hours to convict the suspect of first-degree murder.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
02. fail to convict the perpetrator
“Despite the abundance of circumstantial evidence, the prosecution failed to convict the perpetrator.”
verb + infinitive
03. wrongfully convict a defendant
“New DNA evidence emerged, proving that the state had wrongfully convicted the defendant twenty years ago.”
adv + verb
Adjective
04. escaped convict
“Police warned residents to stay indoors while they searched the woods for the escaped convict.”
adj + noun
05. former convict
“As a former convict, he found it extremely difficult to secure steady employment after his release.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. convict labor
“The historical documentary explored the harsh conditions of convict labor in the nineteenth century.”
noun + noun
Adverb
07. summarily convict
“Under the emergency laws, the tribunal could summarily convict anyone suspected of treason.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“Razzell was jailed for 16 years after being convicted of Linda's murder by a jury.” “A deprivation order may be issued by a court when a person is convicted of animal welfare charges.” “She went on to represent Trump in his hush-money trial in New York in 2024, when he was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.” “A Reform official confirmed foreign nationals will only come in scope of the party’s scheme if and when they’re convicted.” Etymology
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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