convict

convict — verb

1. to formally find someone guilty of an offence in a court of law, after all the e

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to formally find someone guilty of an offence in a court of law, after all the evidence has been presented and examined

Example

The jury convicted Amani of fraud after a two-week trial.

active: convict [someone] of [crime]

Feng was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to eight years in prison.

passive: be convicted of [crime] + sentenced to [penalty]

Common collocations
  • convict someone of
  • convicted of murder / theft / fraud / assault
  • convicted on (evidence / a charge)
  • convicted and sentenced
Synonyms
  • find guilty

    less formal, describes the jury's specific decision rather than the court's final legal status

  • condemn

    more dramatic and less technical; also carries a moral judgment outside of legal contexts

Antonyms
  • acquit

    to officially decide in court that someone is not guilty

Grammar Patterns

be convicted of [crime]

convict [someone] of [crime]

Usage Note

Common in the passive form ('be convicted of'). In everyday news reports, the passive is far more frequent than the active. Only a court has the authority to convict; police arrest and charge, but they do not convict.

Common Mistakes

The police convicted him of stealing the car.
The police charged him with stealing the car; the court later convicted him.
Police do not convict; only a judge or jury in a court can do that.

convict — noun

convict — adjective

Word family

  • conviction
    nounB2
  • convicted
    adjectiveB2
  • unconvicted
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

"Convict" is the precise legal term for a court's official declaration of guilt after a trial. "Find guilty" describes the jury's verdict in less technical language (e.g., "The jury found him guilty of manslaughter"). "Condemn" is broader and more emotional — it can mean a strong moral judgment outside of court ("critics condemned the policy") and in legal use is restricted to capital cases ("condemned to death"). "Sentence" refers to the separate stage after conviction where the punishment is set ("The judge sentenced him to ten years"). A defendant is first convicted, then sentenced. In everyday reporting, "He was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to three years" is a natural two-step sequence.

convict ↗find guiltycondemn ↗sentence ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'convictus', past participle of 'convincere' (to overcome, prove guilty), which combines 'com-' (intensifier) and 'vincere' (to conquer). The word entered English through Old French 'convict' in the 14th century, initially meaning 'to overcome or refute in argument'. By the 16th century it had taken on its modern legal sense of proving someone guilty in a court of law.