woo

[woo]

verb (used with object)

1. to seek the favor, affection, or love of, especially with a view to marriage.

   Synonyms: chase, pursue, court

2. to seek to win.

   to woo fame.

   Synonyms: cultivate

3. to invite (consequences, whether good or bad) by one's own action; court.

   to woo one's own destruction.

4. to seek to persuade (a person, group, etc.), as to do something; solicit; importune.

   Synonyms: entreat, address, sue, petition

verb (used without object)

1. to seek the affection or love of someone, usually a woman; court.

   He was reminded of his youth when he went wooing.

2. to solicit favor or approval; entreat.

   Further attempts to woo proved useless.

woo

/ wuː /

verb

1. to seek the affection, favour, or love of (a woman) with a view to marriage

2. (tr) to seek after zealously or hopefully

   to woo fame

3. (tr) to bring upon oneself (good or evil results) by one's own action

4. (tr) to beg or importune (someone)

Other Word Forms

• wooer noun
• wooing noun
• wooingly adverb
• unwooed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of woo¹

First recorded before 1050; Middle English wowe, Old English wōgian; ultimate origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of woo¹

Old English wōgian, of obscure origin

Idioms and Phrases

see pitch woo.

Example Sentences

People in favor of desalination say the region will struggle to woo businesses unless it fixes its water woes with drought-proof solutions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A backlash over his reliance on an AI-generated campaign video, as his opponents actively wooed voters on the ground, saw him rush north on his return home.

Read more on BBC

Intended as a direct jab at Labour, this also serves as a critique of successive Tory administrations that ignored the economy while trying to woo liberal opinion by unilaterally disarming in various culture wars.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. has long wooed European startups with a deeper pool of capital and a more risk-tolerant culture.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Critical to its hopes of survival could be the Socialists, who Macron has long tried to woo away from a broad left-wing alliance.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• cultivate 
• pursue 
• solicit