coax
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
coaxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coaxed,
past participle, past
-
coaxing
present participle
-
to influence or persuade to do something by gentle urging, smooth talk, flattery, etc..
He tried to coax her to sing, but she refused.
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to obtain by coaxing.
We coaxed the secret from him.
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to manipulate to a desired end by adroit handling or persistent effort.
He coaxed the large chair through the door.
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Obsolete.
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to fondle.
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to fool; deceive.
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verb (used without object)
-
coaxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coaxed,
past participle, past
-
coaxing
present participle
noun
verb
-
to seek to manipulate or persuade (someone) by tenderness, flattery, pleading, etc
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(tr) to obtain by persistent coaxing
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(tr) to work on or tend (something) carefully and patiently so as to make it function as one desires
he coaxed the engine into starting
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obsolete (tr) to caress
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obsolete (tr) to deceive
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
coaxsimple
-
coaxessimple
-
have coaxedperfect
-
has coaxedperfect
-
am coaxingprogressive
-
are coaxingprogressive
-
is coaxingprogressive
-
have been coaxingperfect progressive
-
has been coaxingperfect progressive
Past
-
coaxedsimple
-
had coaxedperfect
-
was coaxingprogressive
-
were coaxingprogressive
-
had been coaxingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coax1
First recorded in 1580–90; verb use of obsolete cokes “fool,” perhaps variant of coxcomb ( def. )
Origin of coax2
First recorded in 1945–50; by shortening
Explanation
When you coax someone, you try to convince him gently, with pleasant words and maybe a little flattery. You’ll have to be patient, as you can’t rush someone you’re trying to coax. When you coax, you have to be nice about it — you can’t threaten or force. You put on a little charm and gently urge, so that the person or thing is happy about being coaxed. You might coax the runaway elephant back into the zoo by patting her gently and talking into her ear. If you wake up with a terrible bedhead, you might coax your hair back into place with the help of a little hair gel and a comb.
Vocabulary lists containing coax
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cloud-seeding sessions have to wait for clouds to form to try to coax them into precipitation.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Ever since learning that Tabla would be closing, his team had been in touch, trying to coax me into selling them the space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
These new pioneers coax the landscape into fertile framing, helping to feed hungry populations.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The day was in the low 70s, and a breeze was coming through our kitchen window; I decided I would not mind standing at the stove long enough to coax the squash toward sweet collapse.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Even that didn’t coax the twins from Luke’s lap, at least not at first.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Thanks to cultivation techniques, the Huntington coaxes the plants to bloom every two to three years, not four to six like they do in their natural habitat, where they’re endangered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
And to read that structure, the painting coaxes you to decide from what perspective you are viewing the scene.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
There, Mark finds Gemma serenely disassembling the crib, and coaxes her to run with him.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025
It’s not until Pointer coaxes her to take off her artificial leg, leaving her dependent on him, that her internal alarm bells start to go off.
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2024
“Show me the new dances, Ivanito!” she coaxes.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
He prepared the couple’s morning coffee while Ortiz coaxed him into finishing a smoothie she’d made for him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
In the early days of the strike it could be coaxed from riverbeds with the use of shallow pans, but soon heavier equipment was needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
She is standing in front of The Barefoot Contessa with her dark hair coaxed into perky curls, wearing a matching aubergine button-down and skirt.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
They coaxed, cajoled, begged and beseeched for support to bring the tournament to North America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Jody held a carrot and coaxed and promised and pulled on the rope.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
And if you’re familiar with Martin Best, the curmudgeonly doctor with an almost permanently furrowed brow portrayed by Charles, the character’s willingness to don such a getup likely took some coaxing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Many also shared ideas for gaining visibility into who’s spending what and coaxing employees to develop some awareness of AI pricing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The woman crouches, coaxing the animal with sweet compliments and a stick of sugarcane she brought with her.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Entrepreneurs Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz later funded a private rescue, fitting the whale with a tracking device and coaxing it onto a water-filled transport ship called Fortuna B.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Then, without further coaxing, he mimicked her steps perfectly, and crouching low, nocked an arrow, drew back, fired.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
