cajole
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cajolesimple
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cajolessimple
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have cajoledperfect
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has cajoledperfect
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am cajolingprogressive
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are cajolingprogressive
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is cajolingprogressive
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have been cajolingperfect progressive
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has been cajolingperfect progressive
Past
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cajoledsimple
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had cajoledperfect
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was cajolingprogressive
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were cajolingprogressive
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had been cajolingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cajole
1635–45; < French cajoler to cajole or chatter like a jaybird, apparently derivative of *cajole birdcage (< Late Latin caveola < Latin cave ( a ) cage + -ola -ole 1 ( def. ) ) + -er infinitive suffix
Explanation
To cajole someone is to persuade them by using insincere compliments or promises. If you say "Please, pretty-please, I'll be your best friend," when asking for a stick of gum, you are cajoling the gum holder. The origin of this word is probably a blend of two French words meaning "to chatter like a jaybird" and "to lure into a cage." When you cajole that guy into lending you some money, picture him as the bird going into the cage. In fact, the word cajole may be associated with another French word meaning "to put in jail."
Vocabulary lists containing cajole
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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:
His goal is to talk up the VW agreement to cajole workers at Mercedes and other foreign plants into unionizing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
Belgium's outspoken prime minister Bart De Wever will be in the spotlight as his EU counterparts -- most of whom back the plan -- try to cajole him to accept.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
My mother did her best to cajole me into going.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 27, 2025
Making community theater, one often has to beg, borrow and steal to cast a show, so it’s not out of the question that Rita might cajole a blue-collar worker like Dan into a rehearsal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2024
Thousands of feet below, his friends stepped up their efforts to cajole him to start down.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
He cajoles the new love of his life Molly to become his sidekick and go to the big city to find riches by performing a psychic act.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 1, 2022
The way Anita shifts tone, inflection, depending on to whom she’s speaking; the way she cajoles or scolds reveals much.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2022
Still, he cajoles her into a session, and when she comes back from her hypnosis, he seems eerily pleased.
From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2021
In the film, Zola, played by Paige, strikes up a friendship with a customer, Stefani, played by Keough, who cajoles her into joining her for a weekend of partying in Tampa, Florida.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2021
This nearly cajoles me into thinking I should also know what Marv needs with the money.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
They coaxed, cajoled, begged and beseeched for support to bring the tournament to North America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
When that failed, it cajoled and persuaded many of its allies to join in a coalition of the willing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
No one should be cajoled into paying for a property that they never use and no longer wish to own.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 5, 2026
"Maybe it's the failure of Oslo that gave rise to the rather unconventional approach that Trump has taken, where he has short-circuited any sort of process and simply pressured and cajoled," Yacoubian said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
How the midwife smacked and prayed and cajoled the tiny chest to move.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
He has complied with court orders, even if the administration’s attorneys have required cajoling by district judges on the matter of immigration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
A Fed chair can’t change the world on his own; cajoling other Fed officials to back his views requires credibility, among other factors.
From Barron's ● Dec. 11, 2025
Do they need cajoling or taking down a peg or two?
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025
It took a month of cajoling, but the script finally passed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2025
So with the help of a bike Candice found in her shed—and some extra cajoling of Brandon—they had ridden over to Lambert High School.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
