as in persuading
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as in cajoling
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
trying to coax their father into taking them on a ski trip, the teens mentioned what a great skier he is
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of coaxing
Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
Hair that’s naturally less heavy can hold more shape and bounce when styling, but maintaining a full-bodied look might take some extra coaxing.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2026
Pushing, pulling and coaxing wins out of his team amid bleak situations is what Tomlin does.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
Emery had been incessant in wanting shorter, faster balls from his deeper players, with Villa’s best opportunity of the afternoon stemming from brave passing in combination in the first half, coaxing Fulham onto them before John McGinn whipped a ball into the space behind.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The truest equivalency for this, around here, was Dave Checketts hiring Pat Riley, coaxing him out of retirement and bringing him to New York to coach the Knicks.
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Every seasoned gardener knows the particular satisfaction of coaxing beauty from unlikely places — a stubborn perennial that finally blooms, a shaded corner that transforms with the right groundcover.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Miller opened the dog crate, and with some coaxing, C31F stepped out and bounded down the hill out of the yard and to the safety of the railroad.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026
One high payroll team coaxing away an elite performer from another free spender made for a delicious side dish to this week’s three-game series and the plot has only thickened.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Langford had the equalizer in the bottom frame, coaxing a walk, which preceded an Emma Rodwell single.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Like a dinner host coaxing guests to try unfamiliar fare, Bronin invited the town committee members to step away from Larson without guilt.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
No coaxing or pulling from the crate.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
Hair that’s naturally less heavy can hold more shape and bounce when styling, but maintaining a full-bodied look might take some extra coaxing.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2026
Pushing, pulling and coaxing wins out of his team amid bleak situations is what Tomlin does.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
Many of us don't have the time—or the skill—to work at coaxing flowers out of the garden.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
Emery had been incessant in wanting shorter, faster balls from his deeper players, with Villa’s best opportunity of the afternoon stemming from brave passing in combination in the first half, coaxing Fulham onto them before John McGinn whipped a ball into the space behind.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The truest equivalency for this, around here, was Dave Checketts hiring Pat Riley, coaxing him out of retirement and bringing him to New York to coach the Knicks.
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Every seasoned gardener knows the particular satisfaction of coaxing beauty from unlikely places — a stubborn perennial that finally blooms, a shaded corner that transforms with the right groundcover.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Miller opened the dog crate, and with some coaxing, C31F stepped out and bounded down the hill out of the yard and to the safety of the railroad.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026
One high payroll team coaxing away an elite performer from another free spender made for a delicious side dish to this week’s three-game series and the plot has only thickened.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Langford had the equalizer in the bottom frame, coaxing a walk, which preceded an Emma Rodwell single.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Like a dinner host coaxing guests to try unfamiliar fare, Bronin invited the town committee members to step away from Larson without guilt.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coaxing
Noun
-
The 70-year-old was explaining how the revival came about through years-long persuading of Emmy-winning creator and executive producer Linwood Boomer.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Each distortion is what happens when the body does the persuading, and the ideas are just the wardrobe.—
Alexis Coe,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And six years later, Donovan is still prodding and cajoling the forward to crash the boards and control his dribble and contribute physically to the game.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Europe has long underspent on defense, and where American cajoling for decades had not worked, a few face slaps succeeded.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Checkers can see your shortcuts, your reportorial wheedling, your blind spots.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The Big East has steadied its membership, since the conference’s revival, by adding Butler, Creighton and Xavier, luring UConn back to its rightful home, winning four men’s basketball national championships, four women’s hoops titles and now operating out of the Empire State Building.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
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But Mizrachi sees potential for Pensacola in some of the same forces that are luring Jews to Boca and Aventure — including unhappiness among New Yorkers with the city’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani.—
Larry Luxner,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Heath Ledger played Patrick Verona, a rebellious teen with a mysterious past who accepts the challenge of wooing Kat.—
Danny Horn,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Candidates fanned out across the state to hit traditional campaign stops in the final weekend before Tuesday’s primary, wooing local audiences in an election increasingly overcome by national events and out-of-state money.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nate plays his older neighbors like a fiddle, seducing them with his beauty, money, and youth.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
On the left, he’s heralded as the only voice capable of seducing young men disaffected by party politics.—
Abigail Sylvor Greenberg,
Vanity Fair,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But Epstein’s entreaties to Keita were not limited to business.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
On the demand of the Commons, Suffolk is exiled for his part in Gloucester’s death despite the queen’s entreaties to the king.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shortly after the ruling, Republicans were urging a review of their congressional maps in Louisiana, Tennessee and elsewhere.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
On Monday, Bloomberg News reported that around 600 Google workers sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai urging him to refuse new AI partnerships with the Pentagon.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coaxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coaxing. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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