as in to cajole
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
trying to coax their father into taking them on a ski trip, the teens mentioned what a great skier he is
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of coax
Johansson shows up on a jet ski to coax them down to the party.
—
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Quietly confident — In spite of all that, Waymo is confident that its vehicles won’t take too much coaxing to get used to London roads.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
For others, a maxi-length puffer or cuddly Teddy Bear coat could coax them out the door with a little fashionable flair.
—Frances Solá-Santiago, InStyle, 25 Jan. 2026
His father, Nerijus, played basketball in Lithuania and had a helping hand in coaxing the twins’ return.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coax
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Quietly confident — In spite of all that, Waymo is confident that its vehicles won’t take too much coaxing to get used to London roads.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
For others, a maxi-length puffer or cuddly Teddy Bear coat could coax them out the door with a little fashionable flair.
—Frances Solá-Santiago, InStyle, 25 Jan. 2026
His father, Nerijus, played basketball in Lithuania and had a helping hand in coaxing the twins’ return.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coax
Verb
-
Cash cajoled Leon Bailey into positions ahead of him, either shuffling backwards to mark Newcastle’s left-winger or shifting inside to track Lewis Hall, who was inverting from left back.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Her mentor, 2012-2020 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, cajoled the BOJ into cornering the government bond market and becoming the biggest owner of Tokyo stocks.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the minutes tick away to the campaign deadline, however, chatter has grown that he could be lured back into the race.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Current and former gang members have long come to Homeboy Industries to get their lives back on track, in part lured by their trust in Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest who founded the nonprofit nearly 40 years ago.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pine seduced Roper away from Corky [Roper’s fixer, played by Tom Hollander, who was killed off in season one].—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Since the dawn of time, the romance of railways has seduced poets, spellbound novelists, and dealt directors the perfect hand for capturing fleeting friendships, illicit affairs, and all manner of crimes and capers.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Red Hill is creating smaller suites and sprucing up the interior to entice new leases.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Illinois is offering discounts, including $5 tickets, $1 wings and $7 domestic beers, to try to entice fans.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In a bid to rekindle the couple’s honeymoon phase, Yasmin troubleshoots by wheedling a chief executive role for him at payment processing company Tender (run by Max Minghella‘s inscrutable puppet-master Whitney Halberstram), and throwing her husband a lavish costume party for his 40th birthday.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
18 Jan. 2026
-
After wheedling some cash from him, while Noon rifles through his backpack, Win convinces him to stay and teach some lessons.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Nothing like it Eric Schickler, a political scientist at the University of California at Berkeley, points out that presidents more typically try to woo the places that voted against them.—
Ronald Brownstein,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
And a whole succession of leaders from countries that are nominally still American allies — Britain, Germany, South Korea — are wooing rather than shunning Beijing to deepen economic cooperation.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Havana urged American citizens in Cuba to take precautions amid the energy crisis by conserving fuel, water, food and charging their phones.—
Bianna Golodryga,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Anyone with information is urged to contact 911.—
Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Easton woman Jacquelyn Tremblett has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Boston federal court against Tesla after her son, Samuel, was trapped in his burning car and dialed 911 begging for help.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In a packed auditorium Wednesday night at the Idaho State Capitol, dozens of people with voices shaking and tears in their eyes begged lawmakers to hear their stories.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coax. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
