PERSUADE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does persuade mean? 

• PERSUADE (verb)
  The verb PERSUADE has 2 senses:

1. win approval or support for

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

  Familiarity information: PERSUADE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PERSUADE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they persuade    ... he / she / it persuades   
Past simple: persuaded   
Past participle: persuaded   
-ing form: persuading   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Win approval or support for

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

carry; persuade; sway

Context example:

His speech did not sway the voters

Hypernyms (to "persuade" is one way to...):

act upon; influence; work (have and exert influence or effect)

Verb group:

carry (win in an election)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

persuasible (being susceptible to persuasion)

persuasive (intended or having the power to induce action or belief)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

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

Hypernyms (to "persuade" is one way to...):

cause; get; have; induce; make; stimulate (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "persuade"):

hustle (pressure or urge someone into an action)

bring around; bring round (cause to adopt an opinion or course of action)

badger (persuade through constant efforts)

sell (persuade somebody to accept something)

chat up (talk to someone with the aim of persuading him)

talk into (persuade somebody to do something)

rope in (draw in as if with a rope; lure)

blarney; cajole; coax; inveigle; palaver; sweet-talk; wheedle (influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering)

convert; convince; win over (make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something)

brainwash (persuade completely, often through coercion)

assure (assure somebody of the truth of something with the intention of giving the listener confidence)

charm; influence; tempt (induce into action by using one's charm)

prevail (use persuasion successfully)

drag (persuade to come away from something attractive or interesting)

tempt (try presumptuously)

make; score; seduce (induce to have sex)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Sentence example:

They persuade him to write the letter

Antonym:

dissuade (turn away from by persuasion)

Derivation:

persuader (someone who tries to persuade or induce or lead on)

persuasible (being susceptible to persuasion)

persuasion (the act of persuading (or attempting to persuade); communication intended to induce belief or action)

persuasive (intended or having the power to induce action or belief)

 Context examples 

If I were to shut myself up for ever with the child, I should not be able to persuade him to do anything he did not like.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

You persuaded her to refuse him.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Sure you do not mean to persuade me that the Colonel only marries you for the sake of giving ten guineas to Mr. Ferrars!

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

Men seldom do, for when women are the advisers, the lords of creation don't take the advice till they have persuaded themselves that it is just what they intended to do.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

He crawled over to his mate and tried to persuade her to get up.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

But you should not persuade me that I think so very much about Mr. Tilney, for perhaps I may never see him again.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

They really go on Monday; and I was within a trifle of being persuaded to stay at Lessingby till that very day!

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

But I knew I should persuade you at last.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

They had persuaded her that I was a wicked fellow, and she was more sorry for that than for my going away.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

With infinite difficulty, for he was stubborn as a stone, I persuaded him to make an exchange in favour of a sober black satin and pearl-grey silk.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)