Pronunciations (10)
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/kənˈvɜːt/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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[kʰə̥ɱˈvɜːt]
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/kənˈvɝt/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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[kʰə̥ɱˈvɝt]
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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/ˈkɒn.vət/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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[ˈkʰɒɱ.vət]
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/ˈkɑn.vɚt/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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[ˈkʰɑɱ.vɚt]
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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ˈkɒn.vət
Pronunciation notes
- GB
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ˈkɑn.vɚt
Pronunciation notes
- US
Verb
To transform or change (something) into another form, substance, state, or product.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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A kettle converts water into steam.
1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth if the whole atmosphere were converted into water
More examples (2)
That ſtill leſſens / The ſorrow, and converts it nigh to joy.
Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy.
To change (something) from one use, function, or purpose to another.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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More examples (1)
And the deff's further sayen that after the said b'gayn the said lambert compounded wt the said lychefeld ffor the moytie of the said Tymber stone glasse yren and tyle aforsaid by fforce whereof the said Lambert and Jane executrix of the testament of the said Thom's lychefeld haue broken and pulled down the stone walles & wyndoes of the said Churche dortr ffratr & cloyster & the same hath taken prceved & convertid to their p'per vses and behofe as lawfull was for the[m] to do by vertue of there said b'gayne & waraunt. All whiche mattrs the said def's ar redy to averre & p've as this hon'able cort shall award. And praye to be dysmyssed wt there resonable costs & charges for ther wrongfull vexac'on & trouble in this behalf.
He converted his garden into a tennis court.
More examples (1)
“A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable,[…].
To induce (someone) to adopt a particular religion, faith, ideology or belief (see also sense 12).
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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They converted her to Roman Catholicism on her deathbed.
No attempt was made to convert the Moslems.
More examples (2)
How little chance, then, should I have against one whose brain was supernaturally sharpened, and who had two thousand years of experience, besides all manner of knowledge of the secrets of Nature at her command! Feeling that she would be more likely to convert me than I should to convert her, I thought it best to leave the matter alone, and so sat silent.
One old chap on a huge slotting machine was intensely religious and made great efforts to convert every young man who came his way.
To exchange for something of equal value.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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We converted our pounds into euros.
To express (a quantity) in alternative units.
Usage- Transitive
To express (a unit of measurement) in terms of another; to furnish a mathematical formula by which a quantity, expressed in the former unit, may be given in the latter.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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How do you convert feet into metres?
To appropriate wrongfully or unlawfully; to commit the common law tort of conversion.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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More examples (1)
The grand jury claims Terrigno "knowingly converted, for the benefit of herself and others, federal funds, which were intended to help the poor and homeless in the Los Angeles area."
To score extra points after (a try) by completing a conversion.
Usage- Transitive or intransitive
- Examples
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Flood converted to leave Wales with a 23-9 deficit going into the final quarter.
To score extra points following a touchdown.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
Bass also kicked field goals of 40 and 49 yards, but he also missed a point-after try, which led to a 2-point conversion that the Bills converted later in the game.
To score (especially a penalty kick).
Usage- Intransitive
- Transitive
- Examples
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Hinton, inevitably, converted the penalty.
However, the lead was doubled after the break, when Branislav Ivanovic converted from close range after Fernando Torres had flicked on.
More examples (1)
This time Polish goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski was Saints' penalty shootout hero, saving three spot kicks before centre-back Wayne Thomas converted from 12 yards to seal a 6-5 win.
To score a spare.
Usage- Intransitive
To undergo a conversion of religion, faith or belief (see also sense 3).
Usage- Intransitive
- Examples
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We've converted to Methodism.
More examples (1)
The notion of blood purity was first elaborated in Europe, where it was used to separate Old Christians from Spain’s New Christians—women and men of Jewish and Muslim origin whose ancestors had converted to Christianity.
Her father had immigrated to Canada from India, while her mother had been born in Canada to a family that had converted from Hinduism to Jehovah’s Witnesses.
To become converted.
Usage- Intransitive
- Examples
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The chair converts into a bed.
To cause to turn; to turn.
Usage- Obsolete
- Transitive
- Examples
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O, which way shall I first convert myself?
To change (one proposition) into another, so that what was the subject of the first becomes the predicate of the second.
Usage- Transitive
To turn into another language; to translate.
Usage- Obsolete
- Transitive
- Examples
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which story[…]Catullus more elegantly converted
To increase one's individual score, especially from 50 runs (a fifty) to 100 runs (a century), or from a century to a double or triple century.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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Gillespie was reminded he had promised to join team-mate Matthew Hayden in a nude lap of the ground if he converted his century into a double.
To perform the action that an online advertisement is intended to induce; to reach the point of conversion.
Usage- Intransitive
- Examples
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Each time a user clicks on one of your adverts, you will be charged the bid amount whether the user converts or not.
To transform a material or positional advantage into a win.
Usage- Transitive or intransitive
- Examples
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On the final day Marshall won a pawn as Black from another old rival, Hodges, but couldn't convert it and played on until a drawn king-and-pawn endgame.
More examples (1)
In a serious game, the same event often takes place: the attacking side, out of pure inertia, tries to convert an advantage which he or she no longer has, thus giving the defending side winning chances.
Black has survived the attack and is better due to his active king! Many moves later, he converted.
Noun
A person who has converted to a religion.
- Examples
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They were all converts to Islam.
More examples (1)
While still in this relationship, Greene, a convert to Roman Catholicism at 23, was asked to be godfather to Catherine Walston, a 30-year-old married woman, at her own conversion.
A person who is now in favour of something that they previously opposed or disliked.
- Examples
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I never really liked broccoli before, but now that I've tasted it the way you cook it, I'm a convert!
Anyone who has converted from being one thing to being another.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
A great advantage of these temporary conversions of a man into a beast is that it enables the convert in his animal shape to pay out his enemy without being suspected.
The equivalent of a conversion in rugby
Usage- Canadian
Noun
a person who has been converted to another religious or political belief
Verb
change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
- Synonyms
- Examples
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We converted from 220 to 110 Volt
change the nature, purpose, or function of something
- Examples
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convert lead into gold
convert hotels into jails
More examples (1)
convert slaves to laborers
change religious beliefs, or adopt a religious belief
- Broader terms
- Examples
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She converted to Buddhism
exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category
- Broader terms
- Examples
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Could you convert my dollars into pounds?
He changed his name
More examples (2)
convert centimeters into inches
convert holdings into shares
cause to adopt a new or different faith
- Examples
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The missionaries converted the Indian population
score an extra point or points after touchdown by kicking the ball through the uprights or advancing the ball into the end zone
- Examples
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Smith converted and his team won
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
- Broader terms
- Examples
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He had finally convinced several customers of the advantages of his product
exchange a penalty for a less severe one
change in nature, purpose, or function; undergo a chemical change
- Broader terms
- Examples
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The substance converts to an acid