4539 wheedle - Definition of wheedle at Define.com Dictionary and Thesaurus (define wheedle)
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4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Wheedle \Whee"dle\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Wheedled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wheedling}.] [Cf. G. wedeln to wag with the tail, as a dog, wedel a fan, tail, brush, OHG. wadal; akin to G. wehen to blow, and E. wind, noun]

1. To entice by soft words; to cajole; to flatter; to coax.

The unlucky art of wheedling fools. --Dryden.

And wheedle a world that loves him not. --Tennyson.

2. To grain, or get away, by flattery.

A deed of settlement of the best part of her estate, which I wheedled out of her. --Congreve.

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Wheedle \Whee"dle\, verb (used without an object) To flatter; to coax; to cajole.

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

wheedle

verb

1: influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering; "He palavered her into going along" [syn: {cajole}, {palaver}, {blarney}, {coax}, {sweet-talk}, {inveigle}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

50 Moby Thesaurus words for "wheedle": adulate, advocate, apply pressure, banter, beset, besiege, beslobber, beslubber, blandish, blarney, bug, buttonhole, cajole, call on, call upon, coax, compliment, con, conceit, dun, exert pressure, exhort, fawn upon, flatter, high-pressure, importune, insist, insist upon, jawbone, lobby, make fair weather, nag, nag at, oil the tongue, palaver, pester, plague, plead with, ply, praise, press, pressure, push, recommend, slobber over, soft-soap, sweet-talk, tease, urge, work on

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