All 10 Uses

coax
in
In the Time of the Butterflies
(Auto-generated)

It took some coaxing, but finally she began.†
Chpt 1.2

coaxing = trying to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gently persuading
"Please, Minerva, please," Sinita coaxed.†
Chpt 1.2

coaxed = tried to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gently persuaded
I felt the same excitement as when I'd been able to coax a wild bird or stray cat to eat out of my hand.†
Chpt 1.4 *
I would have to be gentle in coaxing him back.†
Chpt 1.4

coaxing = trying to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gently persuading
"Come, come," he says, coaxing me as if I were a stubborn child.†
Chpt 2.6
But Mama's sweetness enfolds him and coaxes him back.†
Chpt 2.6

coaxes = tries to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gently persuades
I gave him the breast and long after he was done, I cradled him there to help coax out the tenderness in his father.†
Chpt 2.8
He tried to coax Patria back on her feet, but she would not or could not stand up.†
Chpt 3.9
And who would coax Patria back if she wandered away again from the still waters and green pastures of her sanity?†
Chpt 3.9
I'll coax it out of him, I thought.†
Chpt 3.12

Definitions:

(1) (coax as in: coax her to join us)
try to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gentle persuasion
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Less commonly, coax is a short for coaxial cable (a type of electrical cable used to transmit data, the internet, video and voice communications). Coaxial cables have a conducting wire surrounded by an insulating layer surrounded by a shield. The insulating layer and shield surround a common axis--the conducting wire.

In classic literature, you may see coax used as a synonym for caress or fondle.