Meaning & use

persuade

verb·Academic

To convince someone to do or believe something through reasoning, argument, or appeal.

See it in a sentence

Her friends persuaded her to join the hiking trip at the last minute.

The lawyer persuaded the jury that the evidence proved his client's innocence.

A note on using this word

Persuade is typically followed by a person plus an infinitive, as in 'persuade him to go', not 'persuade him going'.

Words with a similar meaning

convinceinfluence

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

dissuade

Make it your own

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