persuade
v.-
1 to convince someone to act (v.) B1 Intermediate General-serviceto make someone decide to do something by giving them good reasons.
to successfully convince an agent to perform an action through reasoning or verbal influence; typically followed by an infinitive clause.
ExampleIt took a long time, but I finally persuaded my brother to join the gym with me.
ExampleThe marketing team worked tirelessly to persuade the board that a complete rebranding was necessary for the company's survival.
UsageCommonly used in the pattern 'persuade someone to do something'.
PitfallI persuaded to him to go.I persuaded him to go.The verb 'persuade' is transitive and takes the person as a direct object without the preposition 'to'.
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2 to convince someone of a fact (v.) B2 Upper Intermediate General-serviceto make someone believe that something is true.
to cause someone to believe a statement or accept a situation as true through argument or evidence.
ExampleThe lawyer tried to persuade the jury that his client was innocent.
ExampleDespite the overwhelming scientific evidence, it remained difficult to persuade the local community that the water supply was contaminated.
UsageOften used with a 'that' clause or the preposition 'of'.
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3 to try to convince (v.) C2 Proficiency Dialect Archaicto try very hard to make someone agree with you, even if they do not change their mind yet.
to urge or plead with someone; used in some dialects to describe the attempt to convince rather than the successful result.
ExampleHe persuaded with her for hours to stay, but she left anyway.
ExampleIn older texts, you may find the character persuading his companion to flee, though his pleas ultimately fell on deaf ears.
Teacher's tipIn modern standard English, 'persuade' implies success. If the attempt failed, use 'tried to persuade' or 'urged'.
From Latin persuādeō (“to persuade”). Cognate to for, sweet.
- Verbpersuade
- Nounpersuasion
- Adjectivepersuasive