Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - persuade

(persuades, persuading, persuaded) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you persuade someone to do something, you cause them to do it by giving them good reasons for doing it. My husband persuaded me to come... They were eventually persuaded by the police to give themselves up. VERB: V n to-inf, V n to-inf, also V n into n/-ing, V n • persuader (persuaders) All great persuaders and salesmen are the same. N-COUNT 2. If something persuades someone to take a particular course of action, it causes them to take that course of action because it is a good reason for doing so. The Conservative Party’s victory in April’s general election persuaded him to run for President again... VERB: V n to-inf 3. If you persuade someone that something is true, you say things that eventually make them believe that it is true. I’ve persuaded Mrs Tennant that it’s time she retired... Derek persuaded me of the feasibility of the idea. = convince VERB: V n that, V n of n • persuaded He is not persuaded of the need for electoral reform... ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ of n, ADJ that