woo

verb

ˈwü 

wooed; wooing; woos

transitive verb

1

: to sue for the affection of and usually marriage with : court

2

: to solicit or entreat especially with importunity

woo new customers

3

: to seek to gain or bring about

intransitive verb

: to court a woman

wooer noun

Synonyms

• invite
• seek

Examples of woo in a Sentence

The store had a sale in an effort to woo new customers.

The company must find creative ways to woo new employees.

Recent Examples on the Web

Roberts plays an unhappy American in Venice who is wooed by depressed, divorced, and done-with-love Allen in a variety of vaguely dishonest ways. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025

Friends and former colleagues say Beckham can certainly woo a crowd. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025

Farley has managed to woo Wall Street more than his two most recent predecessors — both of whom departed the company after double-digit losses in Ford's stock price. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025

China launched a new program to woo top scientists and tech experts from around the world, in sharp contrast with a recent US policy that dramatically increased the price of talent visas. —Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wowen, from Old English wōgian

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing woo

• woo-hoo
• woo-woo

Rhymes for woo

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

woo

verb

ˈwü 

1

: to try to gain the love of : court

2

: to seek to gain or bring about

political candidates wooing public support