coax
UK /kəʊks/ · US /koʊks/ verb, noun
Forms coaxes coaxing coaxed
- verb (obsolete) To fondle, kid, pet, tease.
- verb (transitive) To wheedle or persuade (a person, organisation, animal etc.) gradually or by use of flattery to do something. “He coaxed the horse gently into the trailer.”
- verb (transitive) To carefully manipulate (someone or something) into a particular desired state, situation or position. “They coaxed the rope through the pipe.”
- noun (obsolete) A simpleton; a dupe.
Synonyms
caress grope touch up canoodle chuckle cosset dally dandle dawt faddle feel up fond fondle grabble nantle pet pettle shift smuggle tiddle coaxial cable coax cable wheedle cajole palaver blarney sweet-talk inveigle
Etymology
Originally (1586) in the slang phrase to make a coax of, from earlier noun coax, cox, cokes "fool, simpleton", itself of obscure origin, perhaps related to cock (“male bird, pert boy”). The modern spelling is from 1706.
Shortened from coaxial
Webster’s 1913
- verb To persuade by gentle, insinuating courtesy, flattering, or fondling; to wheedle; to soothe.
- noun A simpleton; a dupe. [Obs.] Beau & Fl.
Etymology [Cf. OE. cokes fool, a person easily imposed upon, W. coeg empty, foolish; F. coquin knave, rogue.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “coax”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details