Definition of “convert” - English Dictionary

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“convert” in English

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convertverb

uk ​ /kənˈvɜːt/ us ​ /kənˈvɝːt/

convert verb (CHANGE)

B2 [ I or T ] to (cause something or someone to) change in form or character:

Could we convert the small bedroom into a second bathroom?
What's the formula for converting pounds into kilograms?

C2 [ I or T ] to change to a new religion, belief, opinion, etc., or to make someone do this:

He converted to (= started believing in) Catholicism when he got married.
I used to hate exercise, but my sister has converted me (to it).

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convertnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ˈkɒn.vɜːt/ us ​ /ˈkɑːn.vɝːt/

(Definition of “convert” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“convert” in American English

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convertverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /kənˈvɜrt/

› to change the character, appearance, or operation of something:

[ T ] We converted our oil furnace to gas to save money.

› Someone who is converted to something is persuaded to accept new preferences or beliefs:

[ I ] Most of the families in the community converted recently.
[ T ] My kids are trying to convert me to country music.
conversion
noun [ C/U ] us ​ /kənˈvɜr·ʒən/

›

[ U ] Conversion to the metric system has been underway in this country for decades.

convertnoun [ C ]

us ​ /ˈkɑn·vɜrt/

› someone who accepts a new religion or belief:

The candidate won millions of converts to his tax proposal.
Jim called himself a new convert to the Republican Party.

(Definition of “convert” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“convert” in Business English

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convertverb

uk ​ /kənˈvɜːt/ us ​

› [ I or T ] to change from one type of system or organization to another, or to make something do this:

convert into/to sth At the end of the 1990s, many building societies converted into banks.
convert sth into/to sth A trade regime was introduced requiring countries to convert import quotas to tariffs.

› [ T ] FINANCE, STOCK MARKET to exchange one type of currency, share, etc. for another:

convert sth (from sth) into/to sth They had converted all their cash from pounds into dollars.
Investors have the option of converting bonds into equity
convert sth (from sth) into sth They were successfully converted from a traditional retailing outlet into a dot.com operation.

› [ T ] IT to change computer data so that it can be read by a different software program:

Images can be scanned, converted and saved to a specific folder.
convert sth (from sth) into sth Most programs will easily convert text from one file format into another.

(Definition of “convert” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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