woe

[ woh ]
See synonyms for: woewoes on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. profound grief or distress: His woe at the terrible news was almost beyond description.

  2. an affliction or cause of distress: She suffered a fall, among her other woes.

interjection
  1. an exclamation of grief, distress, or lamentation.

Idioms about woe

  1. woe betide, trouble or punishment will come upon (someone) if they take the specified action: 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.: Also woe to .

  2. 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.

Origin of woe

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English wo (interjection and noun), Old English (interjection) (cf. wellaway); cognate with Dutch wee, German Weh, Old Norse vei; akin to Latin vae

synonym study For woe

1. See sorrow.

Other words for woe

Opposites for woe

Words Nearby woe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use woe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for woe

woe

/ (wəʊ) /


noun
  1. literary intense grief or misery

  2. (often plural) affliction or misfortune

  1. woe betide someone misfortune will befall someone: woe betide you if you arrive late

interjection
  1. Also: woe is me archaic an exclamation of sorrow or distress

Origin of woe

1
Old English wā, wǣ; related to Old Saxon, Old High German wē, Old Norse vei, Gothic wai, Latin vae, Sanskrit uvē; see wail

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