ENGLISH
REFERENCE

persuade

v.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //pɝˈsweɪd// UK //pəswˈeɪd// per·suade Archaic Dialect General-service

v. to make someone agree to do something or believe something by giving them good reasons. You use this when you talk someone into a choice.

v. to induce someone to do something through reasoning or argument; to convince someone of the truth of a statement.


SIMPLE

I managed to persuade my brother to help me move.

CONTEXTUAL

The salesperson tried to persuade the couple to buy the more expensive model by highlighting its safety features.

COMPLEX

Despite the overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution, the defense attorney worked tirelessly to persuade the jury of his client's innocence.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Latin persuādeō (“to persuade”). Cognate to for, sweet.

Usage

The verb is transitive and typically takes an object followed by a 'to-infinitive' or a 'that' clause.

Pitfall

I persuaded to him to goI persuaded him to goPersuade is a transitive verb and takes a direct object; do not use the preposition 'to' before the person being persuaded.

© 2026 English Reference