woo

[woo]

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.

Nearby words

Origin of woo

before 1050; Middle English wowe, Old English wōgian

Related formswoo·er, nounwoo·ing·ly, adverbun·wooed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for woos

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
Gerda is supposed to represent the frozen earth, which Summer seeing from far off loves and woos to his embrace.
The Heroes of Asgard|Annie Keary
No man of my years woos a woman, unless his heart's strong impulse urges him on.
Joshua, Complete|Georg Ebers

And this monkey-skin he takes off when he wishes to appear in true princely form, as when he woos and wins the Princess Jahúran.
Indian Fairy Tales|Anonymous
My present one, for instance, loves two ladies, And woos them both.
Olla Podrida|Frederick Marryat
That assurance on the lips of him she woos generally suffices to chill the most ardent Gy.
The Coming Race|Edward Bulwer Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for woos

woo

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 Formswooer, 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

Word Origin and History for woos

woo

Old English wogian, of uncertain origin and with no known cognates; perhaps related to woh, wog- "bent, inclined," as with affection.

Idioms and Phrases with woos

woo

see pitch woo.

woo