coax
1to influence or persuade to do something by gentle urging, smooth talk, flattery, etc.: He tried to coax her to sing, but she refused.
to obtain by coaxing: We coaxed the secret from him.
to manipulate to a desired end by adroit handling or persistent effort: He coaxed the large chair through the door.
Obsolete.
to fondle.
to fool; deceive.
to use gentle persuasion.
Origin of coax
1Other words from coax
- coax·er, noun
Other definitions for coax (2 of 2)
Origin of coax
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use coax in a sentence
She coaxes an ice castle up from the ground, throws off her crown, and becomes the Snow Queen.
Why These Marines Love ‘Frozen’—and Why It Matters | Aaron B. O’Connell | June 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThen the Attorney talks with the most pliant jurors, coaxes them, wheedles them, stimulates them to do what he wants done.
The Trial of Theodore Parker | Theodore ParkerAnd theres a boy lives in our street that coaxes me to have a game with him once in a while.
Letty and the Twins | Helen Sherman GriffithIt caresses the prevailing commonness and ugliness, and coaxes it into a semblance of beauty in spite of itself.
London Films | William Dean HowellsHe blazes his mark upon the secular oaks, as a guidance to later travellers, and coaxes flame from heaps of mouldering rubbish.
Style | Walter Raleigh
She stirs and coaxes and coquettes with the lovely foamy mass until it becomes as light as the yellow down on a fledgling's wings.
As Seen By Me | Lilian Bell
British Dictionary definitions for coax (1 of 2)
/ (kəʊks) /
to seek to manipulate or persuade (someone) by tenderness, flattery, pleading, etc
(tr) to obtain by persistent coaxing
(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
(tr) obsolete to caress
(tr) obsolete to deceive
Origin of coax
1Derived forms of coax
- coaxer, noun
- coaxingly, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for coax (2 of 2)
/ (ˈkəʊæks) /
short for coaxial cable
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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