woo

verb

Save Word

\ ˈwü

wooed; wooing; woos

Definition of woo

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

Other Words from woo Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about woo

Keep scrolling for more

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 Many of them, McCarthy said, were written on behalf of North’s patron, the Earl of Leicester, as part of his quest to woo Queen Elizabeth. — BostonGlobe.com, "How a college dropout in New Hampshire found a Shakespeare secret all the PhDs missed," 19 Mar. 2021 Unless retailers can convince brands to fund their excessive use of basket-wide discounts to woo and retain customers, grocers are ill-prepared for the risk-taking necessary to compete and sustain losses in the online grocery war. — Jonathan Treiber, Forbes, "Is The Grocery Industry Doomed To Make The Mistakes Of The Past?," 17 Mar. 2021 Southwest Airlines isn't letting up on its plans to woo travelers eager to vacation again after the coronavirus pandemic. — Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY, "Southwest Airlines adds three more cities: Myrtle Beach, Eugene, Bellingham," 8 Mar. 2021 Two billboards fashioned as mock tweets by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez debuted over downtown San Francisco roadways this week, part of a campaign to woo remote workers to Florida’s burgeoning tech hub. — Chronicle Staff, San Francisco Chronicle, "Coronavirus news from the Bay Area: Feb. 18-24, 2021," 3 Mar. 2021 Over the last six years, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has put in much effort to woo global manufacturers to set shop in the country. — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, "Modi’s Make in India revolution is coming at the cost of Indian factory workers," 23 Dec. 2020 With an unpopular and isolationalist American leader, China had never had a better chance to woo Australia. — Ben Westcott, CNN, "How China's Xi Jinping blew a golden opportunity with US President Donald Trump," 30 Oct. 2020 On Thursday, Netanyahu released a humorous video trying to woo the unconvinced. — Dina Kraft, Los Angeles Times, "Israel turns to carrots, and maybe some sticks, to persuade COVID-19 vaccine holdouts," 26 Feb. 2021 In fact, the US government and European Union are both trying to woo TSMC to build factories overseas. — Stephen Mcbride, Forbes, "There’s A “Chip” Shortage: And TSMC Holds All The Cards," 24 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'woo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about woo

Dictionary Entries near woo

Statistics for woo

Last Updated

25 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Woo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woo. Accessed 14 Apr. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for woo

woo

verb

English Language Learners Definition of woo

old-fashioned : to try to make (someone) love you : to try to have a romantic relationship with (someone)

: to try to attract (someone, such as a customer, voter, worker, etc.) : to attempt to persuade (someone) to buy something from you, vote for you, work for you, etc.

See the full definition for woo in the English Language Learners Dictionary

woo

verb

\ ˈwü

wooed; wooing