woo

American  

[woo] / wu /

verb (used with object)

• woos,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wooed,
  past participle,  past
• wooing
  present participle

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

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verb (used without object)

• woos,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wooed,
  past participle,  past
• wooing
  present participle

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 British  

/ 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)

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woo Idioms  

1. see pitch woo.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• wooing
  present
• wooed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• woo
  simple
• woos
  simple
• have wooed
  perfect
• has wooed
  perfect
• am wooing
  progressive
• are wooing
  progressive
• is wooing
  progressive
• have been wooing
  perfect progressive
• has been wooing
  perfect progressive

Past

• wooed
  simple
• had wooed
  perfect
• was wooing
  progressive
• were wooing
  progressive
• had been wooing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will woo
  simple
• will have wooed
  perfect
• will be wooing
  progressive
• will have been wooing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of woo

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

Explanation

When you woo someone, you are being charming because you think that it will make them love you more. You want to win their heart, so you woo them, you flirty dog you. Poetry is a great way to woo someone, because who could resist such beautiful words? Wooing requires a romantic heart and a lot of focused attention on the person you desire. But wooing isn’t always just done for love, and you can woo someone because you want their support, like when a rock band woos a record label to release their album, or wooing your grandmother because you need to borrow some money.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

woo woos wooed wooing

To stem the fall, the RBI has rolled out an array of moves to woo dollar inflows, including a deposit scheme for the Indian diaspora that raked in around $127 billion.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Businesses near Nanjing’s registration centers woo customers with wedding-themed discounts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Andie gets lured into a lunch date with a rival executive who tries to woo her over to ABC.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

As well as discussing UK-Canada ties, who knows - might the two men end up debating ways to best woo the EU, too?

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Tailors, dressmakers, and merchants try to woo her with free gifts for her ladies, or offer pastries and champagne.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Beijing leader woos developing countries as superpowers jockey for technology lead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Robert Pattinson’s oily suitor woos Penelope like a “Bachelorette” contestant: “It’s time to live again,” he urges her, certain that Penelope’s vengeful husband won’t come back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

It’s agnostic about whether it woos you with image-maker Nano Banana or a better way to search through your Google Drive.

From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026

Silk diapers are now a thing, as Pampers woos shoppers ready to pay more for premium products.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026

My father's viola does not scream; it pleads, it woos.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

"Daniel was probably more talented than Darren, the trouble with Daniel was he was always being wooed," reveals Mitchell.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Kim finds himself being courted and wooed simultaneously by the leaders of the U.S.,

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

But the winner came from Eustáquio, the son of Portuguese parents who Herdman wooed away from the Portuguese U-21 team in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026

That first saga of Woody versus Buzz was also a story of old versus new, teaching kids that they don’t always have to be wooed by the hottest toy on the market.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026

And I saw Khloris, that most lovely lady, whom for her beauty in the olden time Neleus wooed with countless gifts, and married.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Gilbert persuaded officials of his plan to revive the city: Instead of wooing office tenants, it would mean attracting young, educated residents with money to spend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Platner doesn’t seem to be wooing many registered Republicans, either: Just 7 percent of poll participants said they’d support him.

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026

Then made it back to Ithaca after 10 years only to find his home overrun by suitors wooing his wife.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

In fast-secularising South Korea, Buddhism is regaining popularity thanks to a "hip" trend wooing Gen Z with festivals, fashion, robots and DJs, even as some fear for the fundamentals of the faith.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

She convinced the baker from the village that she was worth wooing, and the two of them ran off together.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• cultivate
• pursue
• solicit