woe

1 of 2

interjection

used to express grief, regret, or distress

woe

2 of 2

noun

plural woes
1
: a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief
2
: ruinous trouble : calamity, affliction
economic woes
Choose the Right Synonym for woe

sorrow, grief, anguish, woe, regret mean distress of mind.

sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

Examples of woe in a Sentence

Interjection ah, woe, with the death of the last of my siblings I am alone in this world! Noun The city's traffic woes are well-known. a tale of misery and woe
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Solving the nation’s economic woes is not a surefire guarantee that more babies will come. Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025 The two hang out in what appears to be a backstage area and chat it up in a conversation that finds Musk complimenting West on the production before revealing relationship woes in an intimate and candid moment. Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025 The Trojans begin to redeem themselves after last year’s road game woes and set themselves up for a confident return to the Coliseum against Michigan State the following week. Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025 Jordan Downs, a community built in the Watts district of Los Angeles in the 1940s to house war workers and converted to public housing in the 1950s, endured a number of these woes and a few others distinctly its own. Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for woe

Word History

Etymology

Interjection

Middle English wa, wo, from Old English ; akin to Old Norse vei, interjection, woe, Latin vae

First Known Use

Interjection

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of woe was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woe. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

woe

noun
ˈwō
1
: great suffering from loss, misfortune, or trouble
2
: trouble entry 2 sense 1b
economic woes

More from Merriam-Webster on woe

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!