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.

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. 2018

Related Words for woos

pursue, cultivate, solicit, rush, court, propose, beg, importune, entreat, spoon, caress, charm, address, date, spark, chase

Examples from the Web for woos

Contemporary Examples of 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
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

Historical Examples of woos

Olivia woos him as she has wooed Cesario, but with better fortune.
William Shakespeare
John Masefield
He woos a beauty, and the chivalry of France shall witness his triumph.
The Duke's Motto
Justin Huntly McCarthy
She woos and is wooed and has no other inducement to bind herself than her own free will.
British Socialism
J. Ellis Barker
Yet he woos her with the same devotion which a lover shows to his mistress.
American Sketches
Charles Whibley
It wakens or warns, threatens or gladdens, and woos him back to slumberland.
In Beaver World
Enos Abijah Mills

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.