convict
convict Lexical Profile
convict Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To declare someone guilty of a criminal offense by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law.
"The jury took less than three hours to convict the defendant of corporate fraud."
To impress someone with a strong sense of guilt or moral error, especially regarding conscience.
"Her honest words served to convict him of his own selfishness in the matter."
• noun
A person declared guilty of a criminal offense and serving a sentence of imprisonment.
"The documentary examined job training programs designed to help former convicts reintegrate into society."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Convict" is a heteronym whose stress shifts by part of speech: the noun is stressed on the first syllable (CON-vict), while the verb is stressed on the second syllable (con-VICT).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Latin convictus, the past participle of convincere, meaning "to overcome in argument" or "to prove unmistakably," formed from com- ("completely") and vincere ("to conquer").