coax
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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coaxes,
present (3rd person singular)
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coaxed,
past participle, past
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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)
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coaxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coaxed,
past participle, past
-
coaxing
present participle
noun
verb
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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
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coaxsimple
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coaxessimple
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have coaxedperfect
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has coaxedperfect
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am coaxingprogressive
-
are coaxingprogressive
-
is coaxingprogressive
-
have been coaxingperfect progressive
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has been coaxingperfect progressive
Past
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coaxedsimple
-
had coaxedperfect
-
was coaxingprogressive
-
were coaxingprogressive
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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:
From the first hint of cold winter mornings, supermarkets and pharmacies begin heavy marketing to coax us to stock up on vitamin C to get through the cold and flu season.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 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
It’s no secret that some members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee favor interest-rate hikes to coax inflation back down.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
The new album appears designed to tease, coax and overwhelm the listener.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Come on now,” the real nurse coaxed Rosemary like you'd coax a scared horse.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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
Camila coaxes Wes to dance, and he is not as bad dancer as he claims to be.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 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
The truck yaws like a ship at sea as Neumann One coaxes it over ruts.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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
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
Vivid examples are the Southeast Asian “pig-butchering External link” scams, in which victims are coaxed into investing in fake crypto platforms.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
That afternoon, I coaxed Mrs. Diamant down from her chair and into the exercises I’d seen the students doing outside the gymnasium.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
After some coaxing from family, Ramirez realized he was perfectly equipped to create mobile kitchens from scratch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The woman crouches, coaxing the animal with sweet compliments and a stick of sugarcane she brought with her.
From Slate ● May 27, 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
Time does a surprising amount of work here, coaxing starches to tenderness and flavors to meet each other halfway.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2026
My breaths come in rapid shallow pants, and I feel betrayed by this body that remembers panic with ease but needs coaxing to remember friends.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
