/ pəˈsweɪd; NAmE pərˈs-/ verb
1.
persuade sb (into sth / into doing sth) to make sb do sth by giving them good reasons for doing it :
[ vn to inf ]
Try to persuade him to come.
[ vn ]
Please try and persuade her.
She's always easily persuaded.
I allowed myself to be persuaded into entering the competition.
I'm sure he'll come with a bit of persuading.
2.
to make sb believe that sth is true
SYN convince :
[ vn that ]
It will be difficult to persuade them that there's no other choice.
She had persuaded herself that life was not worth living.
[ vn ]
No one was persuaded by his arguments.
( formal )
I am still not fully persuaded of the plan's merits.
••
WHICH WORD
persuade / convince
The main meaning of persuade is to make someone agree to do something by giving them good reasons for doing it:
I tried to persuade her to see a doctor.
The main meaning of convince is to make someone believe that something is true:
He convinced me he was right.
It is quite common, however, for each of these words to be used with both meanings, especially for convince to be used as a synonym for persuade :
I persuaded / convinced her to see a doctor.
Some speakers of BrE think that this is not correct.
••
WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent.: from Latin persuadere , from per- through, to completion + suadere advise.