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 of woo

• 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

Democrats won governor races in the next three biggest states previously wooing data center developers—Arizona, Georgia, and Ohio. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 Nov. 2026

Diesel wasn’t the only actor to woo Dench with a grand gesture for a role. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2026

For Target, the next two months will be critical as the retailer tries to woo back its core customer after a disappointing holiday season last year. — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026

Many of the industry’s biggest players, including hyperscalers, AI labs, and data-center developers, are advertising six-figure roles for policy wonks able to woo local communities where data centers are planned, a Semafor analysis found. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026

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