coax

1 of 2

verb

coaxed; coaxing; coaxes

transitive verb

1
: to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : wheedle
coaxed him into going
2
: to draw, gain, or persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery
unable to coax an answer out of him
coaxing consumers to buy new cars
3
: to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with considerable effort toward a desired state or activity
coax a fire to burn
is optimistic that stem cells can be coaxed into growing into replacement tissue for failing organs
4
obsolete : fondle, pet

coax

2 of 2

noun

co·​ax ˈkō-ˌaks How to pronounce coax (audio)

Did you know?

In days of yore, if you wanted to call someone a sap or a dupe, the word cokes was it, what you wanted, the real thing: to make a cokes of someone was to make a fool of them. This now-obsolete noun is believed to be the source of the verb coax. However, the earliest known sense of the verb, appearing in the late 16th century, was not “to make a fool of” (this meaning came later) but rather something sweeter: “to pet or caress; to treat lovingly.” As such an act of coaxing (or “cokesing”) was sometimes done for personal gain or favor, the word soon came to be used to refer to influencing or persuading people by kind acts or words. By the 19th century, the spelling cokes had fallen out of use, along with the meanings “to make a fool of” and “to treat lovingly.”

Choose the Right Synonym for coax

cajole, coax, soft-soap, blandish, wheedle mean to influence or persuade by pleasing words or actions.

cajole suggests the deliberate use of flattery to persuade in the face of reluctance or reasonable objections.

cajoled him into cheating on the final exam

coax implies gentle and persistent words or actions employed to produce a desired effect.

coaxed the cat out of the tree

soft-soap refers to using smooth and somewhat insincere talk usually for personal gain.

politicians soft-soaping eligible voters

blandish implies a more open desire to win a person over by effusive praise and affectionate actions.

legislators blandished with promises of support

wheedle suggests more strongly than cajole the use of seductive appeal or artful words in persuading.

hucksters wheedling her life's savings out of her

Examples of coax in a Sentence

Verb It took almost an hour to coax the cat down from the tree. She tried to coax a raise from her boss. He was unable to coax an answer out of her. He coaxed the fire to burn by blowing on it. The plant is difficult to coax into bloom.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Verb
Francona retired a few years ago, but was coaxed out of retirement by the Reds. David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024 Cybercriminals relentlessly launch phishing attacks at employees, trying to coax or trick them into providing their personal information and credentials. Ilia Sotnikov, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
In fact, scientists suspect that the magnetosphere coaxes Triton’s energetic particles to cross over to Neptune’s atmosphere and excite auroral flares on the planet. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024 That warming coaxes mosquitoes toward higher elevations, even as temperatures have historically been too cold for the insects to thrive. Zoya Teirstein, Vox, 30 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for coax 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

earlier cokes, from cokes simpleton

First Known Use

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coax was in 1581

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Dictionary Entries Near coax

Cite this Entry

“Coax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coax. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

coax

verb
ˈkōks
1
: to influence by gentle urging, special attention, or flattering
2
: to get or win by means of gentle urging or flattery
coaxed a raise from the boss

More from Merriam-Webster on coax

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