Third-person singular present tense of coax; persuades or manipulates someone gently and gradually, often through encouragement or flattery.
From 'coax' (to persuade gradually) + '-es' (standard third-person singular ending in English). This is simply the conjugated form used with singular subjects like 'he,' 'she,' or 'it.'
The way we describe persuasion in English—coaxes, wheedles, cajoles, sweet-talks—reveals that we have many words for gentle manipulation because humans spend a huge amount of time trying to convince others without being direct!
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