Definitions for persuade
pərˈsweɪdper·suade

Princeton's WordNet(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. carry, persuade, swayverb

   win approval or support for

   "Carry all before one"; "His speech did not sway the voters"

2. persuadeverb

   cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm

   "You can't persuade me to buy this ugly vase!"

Wiktionary(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. persuadeverb

   To successfully convince (someone) to agree to, accept, or do something, usually through reasoning and verbal influence. Compare sway.

   That salesman was able to persuade me into buying this bottle of lotion.

2. persuadeverb

   To urge, plead; to try to convince (someone to do something).

3. Etymology: From persuadeo.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. To PERSUADEverb

   Etymology: persuadeo, Lat. persuader, Fr.

   1. To bring to any particular opinion.

   Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Romans.

   We are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation. Hebrews vi. 9.

   Joy over them that are persuaded to salvation. 2 Esdras vii.

   Let a man be ever so well persuaded of the advantages of virtue, yet, till he hungers and thirsts after righteousness, his will will not be determined to any action in pursuit of this confessed great good. John Locke.

   Men should seriously persuade themselves, that they have here no abiding place, but are only in their passage to the heavenly Jerusalem. William Wake, Preparation for Death.

   2. To influence by argument or expostulation. Persuasion seems rather applicable to the passions, and argument to the reason; but this is not always observed.

   Philoclea’s beauty not only persuaded, but so persuaded as all hearts must yield: Pamela’s beauty used violence, and such as no heart could resist. Philip Sidney.

   They that were with Simon, being led with covetousness, were persuaded for money. 2 Mac. x. 20.

   To sit cross-leg’d, or with our fingers pectinated, is accounted bad, and friends will persuade us from it. Brown.

   I should be glad, if I could persuade him to write such another critick on any thing of mine; for when he condemns any of my poems, he makes the world have a better opinion of them. Dryden.

   3. To inculcate by argument or expostulation.

   To children, afraid of vain images, we persuade confidence by making them handle and look nearer such things. Taylor.

   4. To treat by persuasion. A mode of speech not in use.

   Twenty merchants have all persuaded with him;
   But none can drive him from the envious plea
   Of forfeiture. William Shakespeare.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Persuadeverb

   to influence or gain over by argument, advice, entreaty, expostulation, etc.; to draw or incline to a determination by presenting sufficient motives

2. Persuadeverb

   to try to influence

3. Persuadeverb

   to convince by argument, or by reasons offered or suggested from reflection, etc.; to cause to believe

4. Persuadeverb

   to inculcate by argument or expostulation; to advise; to recommend

5. Persuadeverb

   to use persuasion; to plead; to prevail by persuasion

6. Persuadenoun

   persuasion

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(4.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Persuade

   per-swād′, v.t. to influence successfully by argument, advice, &c.: to bring to any particular opinion: to cause to believe: to convince.—adj. Persuad′able.—n. Persuad′er.—adj. Persuā′sible, capable of being persuaded.—ns. Persuā′sibleness, Persuasibil′ity; Persuā′sion, act of persuading: state of being persuaded: settled opinion: a creed: a party adhering to a creed: (Spens.) an inducement.—adjs. Persuā′sive, Persuā′sory, having the power to persuade: influencing the mind or passions.—n. that which persuades or wins over.—adv. Persuā′sively.—n. Persuā′siveness. [Fr.,—L. persuadēre, -suasum—per, thoroughly, suadēre, to advise.]

Matched Categories

1. • Induce

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'persuade' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3950

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'persuade' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3809

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'persuade' in Verbs Frequency: #398

How to pronounce persuade?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say persuade in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of persuade in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of persuade in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of persuade in a Sentence

1. Philip Alston:

   But the point is that United Nations plays an important role as a catalyst in other ways, if the report is strong, it greatly helps the Uyghur campaigns in various places around the world, it should spur at least some key governments to take a stronger stand, and it would ideally persuade the Chinese that they need to further ameliorate their policies.

2. Confucius:

   We take greater pains to persuade others that we are happy than in endeavoring to think so ourselves.

3. Doug Badger:

   When you politicize things and start to say this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and unvaccinated people are crowding sick patients out of hospital beds, you don't persuade unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. That much is pretty clear, but you do deepen the divisions and the hard feelings and the skepticism about what the public health authorities are advising people to do.

4. Vladimir Putin:

   [ Zelensky ] doesnt look like a Ukrainian nationalist, and its hard for me to say if he can manage them, Vladimir Putin said. The question is if he can deliver what he said in public and what he considers necessary to do. I dont know if he did the right thing as president and commander-in-chief to go to the line of contact to try to persuade the people who refuse to obey his orders, Vladimir Putin said, referring to Tuesday when Zelenksy went to the Donbass region to confront protestors who wanted to stop the pullback of troops. Its not such a difficult thing to separate the conflicting sides in two villages, but it has dragged on for years and its now clear why -- because the nationalists dont want to leave and dont want to let the Ukrainian troops out.

5. Dwight D Eisenhower:

   I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone.

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