What's the difference between believe and convince?

Believe


Definition:

  • (n.) To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine.
  • (v. i.) To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith.
  • (v. i.) To think; to suppose.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Unfortunately, due to confidentiality clauses that have been imposed on us by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, we are unable to provide our full names and … titles … However, we believe the evidence that will be submitted will validate the statements that we are making in this submission.” The submission detailed specific allegations – including names and dates – of sexual abuse of child detainees, violence and bullying of children, suicide attempts by children and medical neglect.
  • (2) It has been generally believed that the ligand-binding of steroid hormone receptors triggers an allosteric change in receptor structure, manifested by an increased affinity of the receptor for DNA in vitro and nuclear target elements in vivo, as monitored by nuclear translocation.
  • (3) The sound of the ambulance frightened us, especially us children, and panic gripped the entire community: people believe that whoever is taken into the ambulance to the hospital will die – you so often don’t see them again.
  • (4) 8.47pm: Cameron says he believes Britain's best days lie ahead and that he believes in public service.
  • (5) Ryzhkov added: "I believe they want to keep him in prison for another three or four years at least, so he is not released until well after the next presidential elections in 2012."
  • (6) Of the 622 people interviewed, a large proportion (30.5%) believed that the first deciduous tooth should erupt between the age of 5-7 months; the next commonly mentioned time of tooth eruption was 7-9 months of age; and 50.3% of the respondents claimed to have seen a case of prematurely erupted primary teeth.
  • (7) Parents believed they should try to normalize their child's experiences, that interactions with health care professionals required negotiation and assertiveness, and that they needed some support person(s) outside of the family.
  • (8) The so-called literati aren't insular – this from a woman who ran the security service – but we aren't going to apologise for what we believe in either.
  • (9) They were protecting the sit-in because they believed that, if they left, the police would follow them."
  • (10) Batson believes there is a “mood” that needs to be seized upon.
  • (11) There are widespread examples across the US of the police routinely neglecting crimes of sexual violence and refusing to believe victims.
  • (12) United believe it is more likely the right-back can be bought in the summer but are exploring what would represent the considerable coup of acquiring the 26-year-old immediately.
  • (13) Does anybody honestly believe the vast majority of migrants don’t want that too?
  • (14) Although, it did give me the confidence to believe that my voice was valid and important.
  • (15) That is, he believes, to look at massively difficult, interlocking problems through too narrow a lens.
  • (16) However the imagery is more complex, because scholars believe it also relates to another cherished pre-Raphaelite Arthurian legend, Sir Degrevaunt who married his mortal enemy's daughter.
  • (17) After examining the cases reported in literature (Sacks, Barabas, Beighton Sykes), they point out that, contrary to what is generally believed, the syndrome is not rare and cases, sporadic or familial, of recurrent episodes of spontaneous rupture of the intestine and large vessels or peripheral arteries are frequent.
  • (18) Gordon Brown believes that the fact of the G20 summit has persuaded many tax havens, such as Switzerland and Liechtenstein, to indicate that they will adopt a more open approach.
  • (19) I believe that truth sets man free.” It was a curious stance for someone who spent many years undercover as a counter-espionage informant, a government propagandist, and unofficial asset of the Central Intelligence Agency.
  • (20) Whenever you are ill and a medicine is prescribed for you and you take the medicine until balance is achieved in you and then you put that medicine down.” Farrakhan does not dismiss the doctrine of the past, but believes it is no longer appropriate for the present.

Convince


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To overpower; to overcome; to subdue or master.
  • (v. t.) To overcome by argument; to force to yield assent to truth; to satisfy by proof.
  • (v. t.) To confute; to prove the fallacy of.
  • (v. t.) To prove guilty; to convict.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Unlike Milo, he appears to be – to some extent – convinced of the truth of what he’s saying.
  • (2) But not only did it post a larger loss than expected, Amazon also projected 7% to 18% revenue growth over the busiest shopping period of the year, a far cry from the 20%-plus pace that had convinced investors to overlook its persistent lack of profit in the past.
  • (3) There is no convincing evidence that immunosuppression is effective, also because the natural history of the disease is characterised by a spontaneous disappearance of the factor VIII-C inhibitor.
  • (4) But she says she is totally convinced that, as a public broadcaster, RAI has an ethical responsibility to start showing women in a more realistic light.
  • (5) The amount of intimidation and abuse that has taken place make it very unlikely that women will be clamouring to go back.” Another former shadow minister said they were also not convinced they would stand again.
  • (6) The students were instructed to give up the discussion if they were convinced that the partner's position was a better solution.
  • (7) Tijuana, Mexico, has become a refuge for cancer patients who have been convinced that they may be cured of their terminal illness by unconventional, unproved, and disproved methods offered in the border clinics.
  • (8) "This is the guy we've all seen in Borders or HMV on a Friday afternoon, possibly after a drink or two, tie slightly undone, buying two CDs, a DVD and maybe a book - fifty quid's worth - and frantically computing how he's going to convince his partner that this is a really, really worthwhile investment."
  • (9) He deploys a zero-risk strategy aimed at keeping his rightwing political base behind him, while convincing the public that he alone could lead the country in times of regional turmoil.
  • (10) The comforts of home will determine Liverpool's fate in 2014, according to Brendan Rodgers, and they made a convincing start against Hull City.
  • (11) The good efficacy and tolerability of a topical therapeutic preparation in first and second degree hemorrhoids have been convincingly demonstrated.
  • (12) And despite the initial scepticism, now completely gone says Henry, DCA's transparency and accountability systems and mechanisms are now "some of the most convincing tools to fundraising, credibility and brand recognition" and is used by face-to-face fundraisers, volunteers and PR to promote the organisation.
  • (13) Vimeo has been less successful in convincing its audience to part ways with actual cash.
  • (14) A series of experiments performed with the two immuneprecipitation techniques, reducing or nonreducing electrophoretic conditions, and addition of preformed mock BA-1 immuneprecipitate to BA-1-Sepharose immuneprecipitates convincingly demonstrated that the previously described 55 and 65 kilodalton components were artifacts caused by co-migration of CD24 with IgG and IgM heavy chains, respectively.
  • (15) This judgement is particularly significant for the UK as it was the testimony of two leading experts, Professor Nicholas J. Wald and Sir Richard Doll, whose evidence helped convince the Judge about the harmful health effects of passive smoke.
  • (16) The laws of functioning applicable to these approaches are those coming from liberal and planified economical theories while health planning has developed more and more sophisticated and convincing methodologies.
  • (17) Allardyce told an entertaining story about seeing José Mourinho punch the air at a Soccer Aid match when Chelsea’s manager realised he had convinced Fàbregas to sign for the club.
  • (18) Individual physicians offering HBO and organized groups, such as the Undersea Medical Society, advocating its use may well be highly motivated, well meaning, and sincerely convinced that HBO is an important therapeutic approach.
  • (19) Gillard faces an uphill battle convincing the electorate to back her.
  • (20) But the challenge facing Galliano is not simply to convince the fashion industry of his talent, which is still evident.