woe
Americannoun
-
profound grief or distress.
His woe at the terrible news was almost beyond description.
- Synonyms:
- melancholy , wretchedness , trial , tribulation , anguish
- Antonyms:
- joy
-
an affliction or cause of distress.
She suffered a fall, among her other woes.
interjection
idioms
-
woe betide, trouble or punishment will come upon (someone) if they take the specified action: Also woe to
Woe betide anybody who laughed or continued to talk while he was playing.
Rules about court reporting are strict, and woe betide those who fall foul of them.
Woe to the pedestrian who gets in a cyclist's way.
-
woe is me, (used to lament one's own distress, affliction, or trouble, sometimes humorously).
Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Please don't get the wrong impression, thinking this is a “woe is me” story.
noun
-
literary intense grief or misery
-
(often plural) affliction or misfortune
-
misfortune will befall someone
woe betide you if you arrive late
interjection
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Related Words
See sorrow.
Etymology
Origin of woe
First recorded before 900; Middle English wo (interjection and noun), Old English wā (interjection) ( wellaway ); cognate with Dutch wee, German Weh, Old Norse vei; akin to Latin vae
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While Vicario's mistake dominated headlines, this was an all-round bad day for Spurs to continue their home woes.
From BBC
Meanwhile, roadworks and maintenance, all but abrogated in recent years due to the government’s financial woes, have been in full swing.
From Los Angeles Times
Manas Das, of the Outer Ring Road Companies Association, works with city authorities to resolve infrastructure woes for global tech companies.
From Barron's
Infrastructure woes had plagued the summit from the start -- leaking ceilings, broken air conditioners, toilets running out of water and more.
From Barron's
“The art collection is probably worth more than what the building is,” said McKechnie, who added that a fire sale isn’t a sustainable solution for the club’s financial woes.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
