persuade

verb

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

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.
Due to those risks, local officials were able to persuade corps officials to reduce the amount of water initially planned for release. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2025 Cotton leaned hard on the White House to persuade, not pressure, arguing that an overly combative approach could be counterproductive for people like Young. Stef W. Kight, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025 The Wichita Figure Skating Club and Visit Wichita, the region’s tourism marketing arm, had worked to persuade U.S. Figure Skating to hold its championship event in town. Kevin Draper, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2025 Yolanda is frustrated by the difficulty of persuading poor and struggling parents to get their children to take education seriously. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025 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

Dictionary Entries Near persuade

Cite this Entry

“Persuade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/persuade. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on persuade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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