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 GrishamExamples 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
John Russell, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Three of the doc shorts tell dauntingly serious stories about a convict on death row, a survivor of a school shooting, and a murder in Chicago told through police body-cam footage.
—David Bloom, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Laura Barcella, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Former officer Brett Hankison was convicted in November 2024 of violating Taylor’s civil rights.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for convict
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Noun
In the 1974 crime drama, Hawn plays a Texas woman who, along with her escaped convict husband (William Atherton), takes a police officer hostage in an effort to prevent their young son from being placed in foster care.
—John Russell, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Three of the doc shorts tell dauntingly serious stories about a convict on death row, a survivor of a school shooting, and a murder in Chicago told through police body-cam footage.
—David Bloom, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
Officer Brett Hankison was convicted on one count of civil rights abuse for shooting five shots through Taylor’s bedroom window, which was covered with blinds and a curtain.
—Laura Barcella, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Former officer Brett Hankison was convicted in November 2024 of violating Taylor’s civil rights.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for convict
Cite this Entry
“Convict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convict. Accessed 24 Mar. 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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