woo

verb \ ˈwü \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

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

—

wooer

noun

See woo defined for English-language learners

See woo defined for kids

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 of woo from the Web

In the late 1960s, the mayor was wooing white ethnics.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "Mary Sansone, a Grass-Roots Political Godmother, Dies at 101," 15 May 2018
Could wooing LeBron James really be on the Sixers’ to-do list?

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "Quakertown landmark rebuilds, Pa. closes in on primary day, Trump surprises with China move | Morning Newsletter," 14 May 2018
At the bar's 2017 holiday party, Lacoste and Bean-Lacoste wooed the crowd with matching gold and black outfits.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "'His smile was contagious': Family mourns the loss of father, mentor found dead in Lower 9th Ward," 10 May 2018
China last week successfully wooed another of Taiwan’s diplomatic partners, the Dominican Republic.

— eva dou, WSJ, "Abide in Darkness: China’s War on Religion Stalls Vatican Deal," 9 May 2018
While trying to woo delegates during the three-day affair, the Cox and Travis campaigns were a little chippy but the candidates mostly refrained from criticizing each other during their big speeches to hundreds of delegates on Saturday.

— christina bellantoni, latimes.com, "California's primary election starts now," 7 May 2018
The billionaire wooed investors into buying $1.8 billion worth of bonds in August, which fell within a week.

— dana hull, chicagotribune.com, "'Do not buy' Tesla stock: Elon Musk's unusual statements to investors," 3 May 2018
Her brother, Alex, wooed his high school girlfriends with illustrations of roses.

— kerry cardoza, Chicago Reader, "The American dream, in frosting: the art of Yvette Mayorga," 25 Apr. 2018
Despite the company’s troubles, that original promise — a small, cheap car with big MPG — seems to be what wooed Overstock.com into investing, according to the press release.

— sean o'kane, The Verge, "Elio Motors gets a $2.5 million lifeline from Overstock.com," 24 Apr. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of woo

Middle English wowen, from Old English wōgian

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

woo Synonyms

Synonyms

ask (for), court, flirt (with), invite;

Related Words

angle (for), fish (for);

hunt, search, seek;

provoke, tempt;

Phrases

look for;

WOO Defined for English Language Learners

woo

verb

Definition of woo for English Language Learners

: 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.