woo

verb

\ 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

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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

In the first plot, Frank has essentially been trying to woo new neighbor Chet (Vince Vaughn) to be his new best friend. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Netflix’s F Is for Family examines the dark core of the angry sitcom dad," 2 Dec. 2018 Performance aside, this is the most consequential change for the power users Apple is trying to woo here. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "2018 iPad Pro hands-on: Improving on the world’s best tablet," 30 Oct. 2018 But the candidates are certainly angling to woo those voters. — John Sharp, AL.com, "Alabama Christian conservatives seek fresh surge after taking hit in December," 18 Mar. 2018 Photo: Associated Press Walmart wooed brands for months, including Katadyn, often by offering the small firms the ability to manage how outside sellers on Walmart.com display and price the firm’s products, said some of the firms. — Sarah Nassauer, WSJ, "Walmart Just Wanted to Sell Pricey Outdoor Gear. Then ‘All Hell Broke Loose.’," 7 Sep. 2018 Watch the clip that wooed said executives below: Perhaps this particular development in Goldblum’s career has been a long-time coming. — Kenzie Bryant, Vanities, "Jeff Goldblum Got Himself a Record Deal," 30 May 2018 Nonetheless, Barlow and her supporters set to work winning over detractors, wooing contributors, building an organization, and, during the course of her 15 years at the helm, transforming Central Park. — David Hugh Smith, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Saving Central Park' recounts a love affair with a legendary green space," 24 May 2018 The Shinawatras fundamentally changed Thai politics with populist policies aimed at wooing the country’s poor rural majority, but their time in power was also marred by allegations of corruption. — Denis D. Gray, The Seattle Times, "Thai junta boss eyes staying on with little stopping him," 15 Jan. 2018 Inslee was the chief cheerleader of the largest corporate tax break in U.S. history, $8.7 billion to woo Boeing’s 777 plant here. — Danny Westneat, The Seattle Times, "If Jay Inslee runs for president, his biggest accomplishment may be his undoing," 28 Nov. 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.

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Last Updated

11 Feb 2019

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Time Traveler for woo

The first known use of woo was before the 12th century

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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