coax (someone or something) out of (something)
1. To convince or persuade a person or animal to exit something. Right, like I can coax a teenage boy out of bed before noon on a Saturday! Good luck coaxing the cat out of her carrier at the vet—she's already shaking in terror. Once Rover realizes you're at the beach, you'll have no trouble coaxing him out of the car.
2. To convince or persuade a person or animal to relinquish something. I can't believe I coaxed this vintage lamp out of the guy at the yard sale for only $3! Good luck coaxing the cat out of her favorite seat in the house. Please, you're not coaxing any of this mint condition memorabilia out of me—I know what this stuff is worth!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
coax (someone or an animal) out of something
1. to urge or persuade someone or an animal to give something up. He almost wouldn't sell it, but I coaxed him out of it. I coaxed the cat out of the canary it was holding in its mouth.
2. to urge or persuade someone or an animal to come out of something. She coaxed the puppy out of the carton. Janet coaxed the child out of the closet with a promise of a piece of cake.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.