woo
[woo]
- to seek the favor, affection, or love of, especially with a view to marriage.
- to seek to win: to woo fame.
- to invite (consequences, whether good or bad) by one's own action; court: to woo one's own destruction.
- to seek to persuade (a person, group, etc.), as to do something; solicit; importune.
- to seek the affection or love of someone, usually a woman; court: He was reminded of his youth when he went wooing.
- to solicit favor or approval; entreat: Further attempts to woo proved useless.
Origin of woo
before 1050; Middle English wowe, Old English wōgian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for wooing
Contemporary Examples
Going northward would antagonize Iraqi Sunnis, whom Washington and Baghdad are currently wooing.
But it was his younger brother Maurice who did the important work of wooing and schmoozing the clients.
To compete with Netanyahu, Labor's calling for a "big-tent" party and is wooing former Kadima leader Tzipi Livni.
Wooing insurgents to strike a peace deal is undoubtedly a daunting challenge.
The Sun: Prince Harry is ‘wooing’ pretty actress Gabriella Wilde but she is nervous about becoming a ‘royal girlfriend,’ pals say.
Historical Examples
The wooing on Shakespeare's side was nothing but pastime, though it led to marriage.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
It is all concerned with the wooing of young Adonis by Venus, an older woman.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
The letter was most courteous, most complimentary, most wooing.
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
And yet, on my first wooing her, I had to listen to a 'No' of the most determined character.
FreelandTheodor Hertzka
One summer there came a wooing of Effie a most excellent gentleman.
woo
- to seek the affection, favour, or love of (a woman) with a view to marriage
- (tr) to seek after zealously or hopefullyto woo fame
- (tr) to bring upon oneself (good or evil results) by one's own action
- (tr) to beg or importune (someone)
Word Origin
Old English wōgian, of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for wooing
woo
v.
Old English wogian, of uncertain origin and with no known cognates; perhaps related to woh, wog- "bent, inclined," as with affection.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with wooing
woo
see pitch woo.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.