# persuade

/pɝˈsweɪd/ (US) · /pəswˈeɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/persuade
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to convince someone to act

verb · CEFR B1 · General-service

to make someone decide to do something by giving them good reasons.

For teachers: to successfully convince an agent to perform an action through reasoning or verbal influence; typically followed by an infinitive clause.

- It took a long time, but I finally persuaded my brother to join the gym with me.
- The marketing team worked tirelessly to persuade the board that a complete rebranding was necessary for the company's survival.

Usage: Commonly used in the pattern 'persuade someone to do something'.

### 2. to convince someone of a fact

verb · CEFR B2 · General-service

to make someone believe that something is true.

For teachers: to cause someone to believe a statement or accept a situation as true through argument or evidence.

- The lawyer tried to persuade the jury that his client was innocent.
- Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, it remained difficult to persuade the local community that the water supply was contaminated.

Usage: Often used with a 'that' clause or the preposition 'of'.

### 3. to try to convince

verb · CEFR C2 · Dialect · Archaic

to try very hard to make someone agree with you, even if they do not change their mind yet.

For teachers: to urge or plead with someone; used in some dialects to describe the attempt to convince rather than the successful result.

- He persuaded with her for hours to stay, but she left anyway.
- In older texts, you may find the character persuading his companion to flee, though his pleas ultimately fell on deaf ears.

Teaching tip: In modern standard English, 'persuade' implies success. If the attempt failed, use 'tried to persuade' or 'urged'.

## Examples

- I managed to persuade my brother to help me move.
- The salesperson tried to persuade the couple to buy the more expensive model by highlighting its safety features.
- Despite the overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution, the defense attorney worked tirelessly to persuade the jury of his client's innocence.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.