woo

[ woo ]

/ wu /

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See synonyms for: woo / wooed / wooing / wooer on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR woo

1 court, pursue, chase.

2 cultivate.

4 petition, sue, address, entreat; butter up.

See synonyms for woo on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of woo

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

OTHER WORDS FROM woo

wooer, nounwoo·ing·ly, adverbun·wooed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use woo in a sentence

He woos Alexandra, but he is rebuffed by her two older brothers, who distrust any man who has seen the world beyond Nebraska.
American Dreams: ‘O Pioneers!’ by Willa Cather|Nathaniel Rich|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He woos her with tales of his fraught relationship with Queen Isabella of Spain and his love of the open ocean.
This Week's Hot Reads|The Daily Beast|September 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Yet he woos her with the same devotion which a lover shows to his mistress.
American Sketches|Charles Whibley
He that woos a maiden maun come seldom in her sight: he that woos a widow maun ply her day and night.
The Proverbs of Scotland|Alexander Hislop

The bird woos its mate with the beauty of its plumage and the harmonious notes of its love-call.
Sex=The Unknown Quantity|Ali Nomad
Ilmarinen arrives at the homestead of Pohjola, woos the daughter of the house, and perilous tasks are assigned to him (1-32).
Kalevala, Volume I (of 2)|Anonymous
He woos and wins the daughter of a country clergyman, marries, and finds a young family growing up around him.
Crabbe, (George)|Alfred Ainger

British Dictionary definitions for woo

woo

/ (wuː) /

verb woos, wooing or wooed

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)

Derived forms of woo

wooer, nounwooing, noun

Word Origin for woo

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with woo

woo

see pitch woo.