diff --git a/Lib/argparse.py b/Lib/argparse.py
index d24fa72e573d4f..51c43a3f07a99d 100644
--- a/Lib/argparse.py
+++ b/Lib/argparse.py
@@ -2237,11 +2237,16 @@ def consume_positionals(start_index):
                     # twice (which may fail) if the argument was given, but
                     # only if it was defined already in the namespace
                     if (action.default is not None and
-                        isinstance(action.default, str) and
                         hasattr(namespace, action.dest) and
                         action.default is getattr(namespace, action.dest)):
-                        setattr(namespace, action.dest,
+                        if isinstance(action.default, str):
+                            setattr(namespace, action.dest,
                                 self._get_value(action, action.default))
+                        elif (action.nargs not in (OPTIONAL, None) and
+                              isinstance(action.default, (list, tuple)) and
+                              all(isinstance(v, str) for v in action.default)):
+                            setattr(namespace, action.dest,
+                                [self._get_value(action, v) for v in action.default])
 
         if required_actions:
             raise ArgumentError(None, _('the following arguments are required: %s') %
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_argparse.py b/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
index 488a3a4ed20fac..394c78ab14726c 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
@@ -607,6 +607,25 @@ class TestOptionalsNargsDefault(ParserTestCase):
         ('-x a', NS(x='a')),
     ]
 
+class TestNargsDefaultConvert(ParserTestCase):
+    """Tests not specifying the number of args for an Optional"""
+
+    argument_signatures = [Sig('-x', type=int, nargs='+', default=['1', '2'])]
+    failures = []
+    successes = [
+        ('', NS(x=[1, 2])),
+    ]
+
+
+class TestListDefaultConvert(ParserTestCase):
+    """Tests not specifying the number of args for an Optional"""
+
+    argument_signatures = [Sig('-x', type=int, default=['1', '2'])]
+    failures = []
+    successes = [
+        ('', NS(x=['1', '2'])),
+    ]
+
 
 class TestOptionalsNargs1(ParserTestCase):
     """Tests specifying 1 arg for an Optional"""
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-04-19-12-15-54.gh-issue-132717.TJQ9_b.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-04-19-12-15-54.gh-issue-132717.TJQ9_b.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..949fcb9d7119c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-04-19-12-15-54.gh-issue-132717.TJQ9_b.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+:mod:`argparse` now calls the convert function for default values in variadic
+arguments. Patch by Noam Cohen.