as in persuading
Related Words
Relevance
as in cajoling
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
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 coaxing
Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
Hair that’s naturally less heavy can hold more shape and bounce when styling, but maintaining a full-bodied look might take some extra coaxing.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2026
Pushing, pulling and coaxing wins out of his team amid bleak situations is what Tomlin does.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Maye has done both without much coaxing this postseason.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
The principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Huntington begins each practice session with long bow strokes close to the bridge, gently but firmly coaxing sound that will project to the back of the concert hall.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 4 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
His father, Nerijus, played basketball in Lithuania and had a helping hand in coaxing the twins’ return.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
That’s your choice to prioritize more dependable success over bragging rights for coaxing a half dead super-choice plant through the vagaries of a yo-yo bit of winter.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Jan. 2026
And vendors that are feeling burned might need a little coaxing, even if many of the designers have few easy alternatives to fill the Saks Global-sized hole in their business.
—Footwear News, 14 Jan. 2026
David then spent years coaxing Cruise, along with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott, to make a sequel.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
No coaxing or pulling from the crate.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
Hair that’s naturally less heavy can hold more shape and bounce when styling, but maintaining a full-bodied look might take some extra coaxing.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2026
Pushing, pulling and coaxing wins out of his team amid bleak situations is what Tomlin does.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
Where Vance seems only to have desired to berate and insult, there was something more urgently coaxing in Rubio’s tone.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Maye has done both without much coaxing this postseason.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
The principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Huntington begins each practice session with long bow strokes close to the bridge, gently but firmly coaxing sound that will project to the back of the concert hall.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 4 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
His father, Nerijus, played basketball in Lithuania and had a helping hand in coaxing the twins’ return.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
That’s your choice to prioritize more dependable success over bragging rights for coaxing a half dead super-choice plant through the vagaries of a yo-yo bit of winter.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Jan. 2026
And vendors that are feeling burned might need a little coaxing, even if many of the designers have few easy alternatives to fill the Saks Global-sized hole in their business.
—Footwear News, 14 Jan. 2026
David then spent years coaxing Cruise, along with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott, to make a sequel.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coaxing
Noun
-
But Putin cannot have needed much persuading to agree to a formal invitation to the US to have the bilateral meeting his team have long held out as the way towards peace in Ukraine.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
9 Aug. 2025
-
In the framework of conversational intelligence, most workplace communication falls into Level 1 (telling) or Level 2 (persuading).—
Susan Curtin,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Europe has long underspent on defense, and where American cajoling for decades had not worked, a few face slaps succeeded.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Although Texas, Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina went along, Indiana did not -- despite cajoling and insults from the president and the possibility of primary challenges.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Checkers can see your shortcuts, your reportorial wheedling, your blind spots.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The disguise simultaneously repels birds and other larger predators, who have no interest in eating what appears to be excrement, while luring in the spider’s next dinner.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The disguise simultaneously repels birds and larger predators, who have no interest in eating what appears to be excrement, while luring in the spider’s next dinner.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The rehabilitation itself will be expensive, and its success will depend on wooing private investors and overcoming a half-decade of adverse publicity.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Smelling blood in the bathwater, Therme has spent the past several years pushing for development in North American cities, spending massively on hiring and events and wooing community representatives and public officials.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Curbed,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Waugh walks around with a newfound swagger, playing hooky, drinking heavily, even seducing a woman at his local.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Ian Somerhalder’s character delights in seducing aggro closeted dudes.—
Ky Henderson,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After a while, their entreaties quieted.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Prosecutors showed that Gray, 55, gave his son the rifle for Christmas and refused entreaties to lock it up as Colt Gray, then 14, showed signs of deteriorating mental health, including bouts of anger and an obsession with school shooters.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The cost of inaction could be substantial enough to justify urging candidates to assess their viability before the filing deadline.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued a Critical Incident Report to law enforcement partners warning that the hacktivist group, the Cyber Islamic Resistance has called for cyberattacks against the United States and Israel, urging mobilization of cyber warfare supporters.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coaxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coaxing. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
