coax

¹ American  

[kohks] / koʊks /

verb (used with object)

coaxes, present (3rd person singular) coaxed, past participle, past coaxing present participle

1. to influence or persuade to do something by gentle urging, smooth talk, flattery, etc..

   He tried to coax her to sing, but she refused.

2. to obtain by coaxing.

   We coaxed the secret from him.

3. to manipulate to a desired end by adroit handling or persistent effort.

   He coaxed the large chair through the door.

4. Obsolete.

   1. to fondle.

   2. to fool; deceive.

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verb (used without object)

coaxes, present (3rd person singular) coaxed, past participle, past coaxing present participle

1. to use gentle persuasion.

coax ² American  

[koh-aks, koh-aks] / koʊˈæks, ˈkoʊ æks /

noun

Electricity.

1. coaxial cable.

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coax ¹ British  

/ kəʊks /

verb

1. to seek to manipulate or persuade (someone) by tenderness, flattery, pleading, etc

2. (tr) to obtain by persistent coaxing

3. (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

4. obsolete (tr) to caress

5. obsolete (tr) to deceive

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coax ² British  

/ ˈkəʊæks /

noun

1. short for coaxial cable

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coaxer
  noun
• coaxingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• coaxing
  present
• coaxed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• coax
  simple
• coaxes
  simple
• have coaxed
  perfect
• has coaxed
  perfect
• am coaxing
  progressive
• are coaxing
  progressive
• is coaxing
  progressive
• have been coaxing
  perfect progressive
• has been coaxing
  perfect progressive

Past

• coaxed
  simple
• had coaxed
  perfect
• was coaxing
  progressive
• were coaxing
  progressive
• had been coaxing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will coax
  simple
• will have coaxed
  perfect
• will be coaxing
  progressive
• will have been coaxing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coax coaxes coaxed coaxing

De Zerbi, by his own admission, has had to be as much a psychologist as coach to coax Spurs to survival.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

And they keep rising, even as policymakers try to coax that money back into the economy.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026

Consumption has remained stubbornly sluggish post-pandemic despite government efforts to coax spending.

From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026

Vail Resorts MTN -0.90%decrease; red down pointing triangle is cutting the price of next year’s Epic Pass by 20% for young people, another step to coax customers to its mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

My teacher rotated the arm and shoulder outward as he pushed, trying to coax the shoulder back into place.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis

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

That warming coaxes mosquitoes toward higher elevations, even as temperatures have historically been too cold for the insects to thrive.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2024

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

Director Alexander Payne regularly coaxes acclaimed performances from his actors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2024

The sun appears butter-yellow and so warm it coaxes tulips out of the crusty mud.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

They coaxed, cajoled, begged and beseeched for support to bring the tournament to North America.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

The drippings, on that first night, don’t go to waste: they’re coaxed into something worthy of the occasion, slicked over potatoes or spooned onto rice, greener and more herb-laced than you might expect.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026

Rescuers coaxed him away but only as far as nearby Poel Island, where he is now lying on the seabed.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

If Iran can’t be coaxed by China or other mediators to reach terms, he may have to escalate more than he ever intended or wanted to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

It had retreated to that obscure corner in herself from where it came and couldn’t be coaxed.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

The woman crouches, coaxing the animal with sweet compliments and a stick of sugarcane she brought with her.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

Eger unlocked one woman’s grief by coaxing her to stand barefoot on her mother’s grave.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Baschek said the whale's breathing and reaction to rescuers had deteriorated, and that the chances of coaxing him out of the bay were so slim it would be cruel to try.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

Casting its relentless sunshine as a background character, coaxing neighbors out of their shells and into verdant parks and yards and onto their manicured streets, is part of that.

From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026

She sat up, then, and pushed her hair fretfully back from her face and she shrugged her shoulders when he would have drawn her to him, and she would not yield to his coaxing.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

Related Words

• cajole
• entice
• induce
• tease
• tempt
• wheedle