coax

1 of 2

verb

ˈkōks 

coaxed; coaxing; coaxes

transitive verb

1

: to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : wheedle

coaxed him into going

2

: to draw, gain, or persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery

unable to coax an answer out of him

coaxing consumers to buy new cars

3

: to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with considerable effort toward a desired state or activity

coax a fire to burn

is optimistic that stem cells can be coaxed into growing into replacement tissue for failing organs

4

obsolete : fondle, pet

coax

2 of 2

noun

co·​ax ˈkō-ˌaks 

: coaxial cable

Did you know?

In days of yore, if you wanted to call someone a sap or a dupe, the word cokes was it, what you wanted, the real thing: to make a cokes of someone was to make a fool of them. This now-obsolete noun is believed to be the source of the verb coax. However, the earliest known sense of the verb, appearing in the late 16th century, was not “to make a fool of” (this meaning came later) but rather something sweeter: “to pet or caress; to treat lovingly.” As such an act of coaxing (or “cokesing”) was sometimes done for personal gain or favor, the word soon came to be used to refer to influencing or persuading people by kind acts or words. By the 19th century, the spelling cokes had fallen out of use, along with the meanings “to make a fool of” and “to treat lovingly.”

Synonyms

Verb

• blandish
• blarney
• cajole
• palaver
• soft-soap
• sweet-talk
• wheedle

Choose the Right Synonym for coax

cajole, coax, soft-soap, blandish, wheedle mean to influence or persuade by pleasing words or actions.

cajole suggests the deliberate use of flattery to persuade in the face of reluctance or reasonable objections.

cajoled him into cheating on the final exam

coax implies gentle and persistent words or actions employed to produce a desired effect.

coaxed the cat out of the tree

soft-soap refers to using smooth and somewhat insincere talk usually for personal gain.

politicians soft-soaping eligible voters

blandish implies a more open desire to win a person over by effusive praise and affectionate actions.

legislators blandished with promises of support

wheedle suggests more strongly than cajole the use of seductive appeal or artful words in persuading.

hucksters wheedling her life's savings out of her

Examples of coax in a Sentence

Verb

It took almost an hour to coax the cat down from the tree.

She tried to coax a raise from her boss.

He was unable to coax an answer out of her.

He coaxed the fire to burn by blowing on it.

The plant is difficult to coax into bloom.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The numbers are vital in helping a club that historically has lived in the shadow of its bigger, wealthier London neighbours thrive at the top level, but Frank’s ability to coax performances out of a largely unheralded squad is just as important. —Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Dec. 2024

The latter caper bears fruit, as Matty and Olympia — with the help of, appropriately, a nanny cam — are able to coax one of Olympia’s friends, Lacy (Cathryn Mudon), into confessing to framing Nadira to cover up evidence of her affair with one of the other mom’s husbands. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024

Noun

In fact, scientists suspect that the magnetosphere coaxes Triton’s energetic particles to cross over to Neptune’s atmosphere and excite auroral flares on the planet. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024

That warming coaxes mosquitoes toward higher elevations, even as temperatures have historically been too cold for the insects to thrive. —Zoya Teirstein, Vox, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

earlier cokes, from cokes simpleton

First Known Use

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

coax

verb

ˈkōks

1

: to influence by gentle urging, special attention, or flattering

2

: to get or win by means of gentle urging or flattery

coaxed a raise from the boss