coax
To gently persuade someone to do something.
coax in a sentence
- With a saucer of milk, Jo coaxed the frightened kitten out from under the shed.
- With gentle words, the teacher managed to coax the shy new pupil into joining the game.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to coax?
- Aforce
- Border
- Cbully
- Dpersuade
Show the answer
D: persuade. The other three mean the opposite of coax.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to coax?
- Aforce
- Burge
- Cpersuade
- Dtempt
Show the answer
A: force. The other three mean nearly the same as coax.
Words that mean something similar
persuade, tempt, urge
Words that mean the opposite
force, bully, order
More words about speech & sound
- commotion: A sudden burst of noisy confusion.
- concise: Saying what you need to say in only a few words.
- condemn: To say strongly that something is wrong or bad.
- confer: To give someone an award, title or honour, or to talk something over with others.
- confide: To tell someone a secret because you trust them.
- contest: To argue that something is wrong or unfair and try to change it.
- contradict: To say the opposite of what someone else has said.
- convey: To carry something somewhere, or to make a feeling or idea known.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test