coaxing
coaxing — verb
1. to slowly get someone to do or agree to something by speaking warmly, smiling, o
to slowly get someone to do or agree to something by speaking warmly, smiling, or saying nice things, rather than by giving orders or arguing
Yuki coaxed her little brother into trying a spoonful of the spinach soup.
coax + someone + into + -ing for gentle persuasion
The nurse coaxed the frightened boy to open his mouth for a quick throat check.
coax + someone + to-infinitive
Dario sat down and quietly coaxed the stray puppy out from under the couch.
After half an hour, Ravindra finally coaxed his grandmother into seeing the doctor.
Élise gently coaxed a smile out of the crying toddler with a silly puppet voice.
文法句型
coax + someone + into + -ing
coax + someone + to-infinitive
coax + someone + out of + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person; object is usually a reluctant person, a child, or a shy animal. Often used with a destination phrase (`into doing`, `out of doing`, `out from under`).
常見錯誤
2. to make a machine, fire, plant, or other object slowly start working or produce
to make a machine, fire, plant, or other object slowly start working or produce a result, by handling it carefully over time
Felix knelt by the campfire and tried to coax the damp wood into a flame.
coax + object + into + result
Jenna spent an hour coaxing the old printer back to life before the meeting started.
coax + machine + back to life
By gently rocking the steering wheel, Rafael coaxed the truck out of the muddy ditch.
Eshe carefully coaxed the seedlings to grow by adjusting the lamp and watering them daily.
- force
use sudden strength rather than patient handling
文法句型
coax + something + into + state
coax + something + to + verb
用法筆記
Object is usually an inanimate thing that resists working: an engine, a fire, a stuck door, a dying plant. Distinguish from sense 1, whose object is a reluctant person or animal.
3. in older or literary writing, to stroke or pat someone or something with gentle,
in older or literary writing, to stroke or pat someone or something with gentle, affectionate movements of the hand
In the old novel, the shepherd coaxed the lamb's soft ears as the storm passed.
literary register: coax = stroke gently
Darius coaxed his daughter's hair away from her forehead before kissing her goodnight.
The poem describes how the old fisherman coaxed the cat's chin until it purred.
Eli coaxed the orchid's petals with a fingertip, marvelling at how soft they felt.
文法句型
coax + body part / object of affection
用法筆記
Mainly literary or older fiction; rare in modern conversation. Distinguish from sense 1 (persuade) and sense 2 (get working) — here there is no goal of changing behaviour, only affectionate touch.
coaxing — noun
1. the gentle, patient, often sweet-sounding way of talking that you use when you w
the gentle, patient, often sweet-sounding way of talking that you use when you want someone to do something they are unsure about
It took a lot of coaxing before Lotte's shy cousin agreed to sing at the family party.
a lot of coaxing — common quantity phrase
With a little coaxing, Kenji's grandfather finally agreed to use the new phone.
with a little coaxing — set phrase
Some children eat new vegetables right away; others need gentle coaxing for weeks.
Despite hours of coaxing, Ramón's daughter refused to get on the small plane.
- persuasion
broader; persuasion can involve logic and argument, while coaxing is specifically warm and gentle
- cajolery
more formal; suggests flattery and is less common in modern speech
- force
the opposite means of getting someone to act
文法句型
a lot of coaxing
with a little coaxing
take some coaxing
用法筆記
Uncountable. Frequently quantified by `a lot of`, `a little`, `some`, `gentle`, or `hours of`. Often follows `take` (`take some coaxing`) or `with` (`with a little coaxing`).
常見錯誤
coaxing — adjective
1. describing a voice, smile, or manner that is soft and warm and seems designed to
describing a voice, smile, or manner that is soft and warm and seems designed to make you agree or feel calmer
Eli used a coaxing voice to lure the frightened cat from behind the washing machine.
a coaxing + voice — most frequent collocation
The dentist's coaxing tone helped Jenna stay calm during her first filling.
a coaxing + tone — typical collocation
Tyler answered his crying baby with a soft, coaxing smile.
Christopher's words stayed patient and coaxing, even when the toddler refused his coat.
- soothing
focuses on calming; coaxing adds the goal of getting agreement
- wheedling
more negative; suggests insincere flattery
- persuasive
broader and more neutral; can apply to arguments and writing, not only voice
文法句型
a coaxing + noun (voice, tone, smile)
be coaxing
用法筆記
Almost always describes manner-of-speech nouns (`voice`, `tone`, `whisper`, `smile`, `words`). Rarely used to describe a person directly. Distinguish from sense 1 of the verb: this is the quality of the voice or look, not the action.