convict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to prove or declare guilty of an offense, especially after a legal trial.
to convict a prisoner of a felony.
-
to impress with a sense of guilt.
noun
-
a person proved or declared guilty of an offense.
-
a person serving a prison sentence.
adjective
verb
noun
-
a person found guilty of an offence against the law, esp one who is sentenced to imprisonment
-
a person serving a prison sentence
adjective
Other Word Forms
- convictable adjective
- convictible adjective
- convictive adjective
- convictively adverb
- preconvict verb (used with object)
- reconvict verb (used with object)
- unconvicting adjective
- unconvictive adjective
Etymology
Origin of convict
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb convicten, from Latin convictus, past participle of convincere, equivalent to con- “with, together” + vic-, variant stem of vincere “to overcome” + -tus past participle suffix; Middle English noun convict “(a) convict,” adjective convict “convicted,” past participle of convicten “to convince” (or directly from Latin ); con-, convince
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She was convicted in December 2021, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Two Los Angeles protesters were convicted late Friday of stalking a U.S.
From Los Angeles Times
He was convicted in July after a six-week trial and made two unsuccessful appeals, denied a new trial only a week ago.
From Los Angeles Times
They were convicted on espionage charges which their families have always condemned as fabricated.
From Barron's
The elder Kwok became the first person to be convicted of this type of offence earlier this month in a case rights groups called an "alarming act of collective punishment".
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
