con·vict
ˈkän-ˌvikt 
1
: a person convicted of and under sentence for a crime
2
: a person serving a usually long prison sentence
convicted; convicting; convicts
1
: to find or prove to be guilty
The jury convicted them of fraud.
2
: to convince of error or sinfulness
: to find a defendant guilty
Remarkably, two of the jurors boldly dug in their heels and pressed to convict.—
John Grisham
John GrishamSynonyms
Examples of convict in a Sentence
Noun
a warning that the three escaped convicts were armed and dangerous
Verb
There is sufficient evidence to convict.
He was convicted in federal court.
The jury convicted them on three counts of fraud.
Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
Recent Examples on the Web
Justin Hawkins / Made By History, TIME, 31 Jan. 2025
Cena also goes under the hood with country singer Jelly Roll in Nashville, and while a passenger in Jelly’s RAM 1500 Laramie learns about his journey from being a convict to fatherhood and stardom.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
In Pennsylvania, children as young as 10 can be charged, prosecuted, and convicted as adults.
—Brendan Rand, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for convict 
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Noun
Southern whites imprisoned a disproportionately Black convict population, often for minor and outright fictional crimes, and put them to work, especially in building the highways that brought the South into the modern age.
—Justin Hawkins / Made By History, TIME, 31 Jan. 2025
Cena also goes under the hood with country singer Jelly Roll in Nashville, and while a passenger in Jelly’s RAM 1500 Laramie learns about his journey from being a convict to fatherhood and stardom.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
What To Know At the federal District Court of Maryland in Baltimore, Russell, of Orlando, Florida, was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to damage an energy facility after pleading not guilty, following a six-day trial.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
In Pennsylvania, children as young as 10 can be charged, prosecuted, and convicted as adults.
—Brendan Rand, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for convict
Dictionary Entries Near convict
Cite this Entry
“Convict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convict. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
convict
1 of 2 verb
con·vict
kən-ˈvikt
: to find or prove guilty
convict
2 of 2 noun
con·vict
ˈkän-ˌvikt
: a person serving a prison sentence
Legal Definition
convict
2 of 2 noun
con·vict
ˈkän-ˌvikt
: a person convicted of and serving a sentence for a crime
Etymology
Transitive verb
Latin convictus past participle of convincere to find guilty, prove, from com- with, together + vincer to conquer
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