persuade

verb

per·​suade pər-ˈswād How to pronounce persuade (audio)
persuaded; persuading
Synonyms of persuadenext

transitive verb

1
: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action
2
: to plead with : urge
persuader noun

Examples of persuade in a Sentence

He persuaded his friend to go back to school. She couldn't be persuaded to go. He would not let himself be persuaded into buying the more expensive stereo. I am not easily persuaded. They persuaded us that we were wrong. He persuaded himself that he had made the right choice.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Historically, there have been attempts to persuade Congress, but politics prevailed. Holly Andres, Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026 The news agency cited Dutch prosecutors as saying the suspects were detained on suspicion of spreading propaganda from ISIS on TikTok and trying to persuade people to carry out terrorist attacks. Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026 The lengths to which users have gone to try to keep GPT-4o alive, whether by persuading the company to keep it online or by preserving it themselves, speak to the importance the chatbot has taken in the lives of some of its users, potentially because of the nature of human psychology. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026 In other words, if Warsh were to succeed in persuading his colleagues on the Board and FOMC in slimming down the Fed — something not at all sure given the limited power of the Chair — there would be difficult tradeoffs. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for persuade

Word History

Etymology

Latin persuadēre, from per- thoroughly + suadēre to advise, urge — more at sweet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of persuade was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Persuade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/persuade. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

persuade

verb
per·​suade pər-ˈswād How to pronounce persuade (audio)
persuaded; persuading
: to win over to a belief or to a course of action by argument or earnest request
persuadable
-ˈswād-ə-bəl
adjective
persuader noun

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