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

However the Alabama Supreme Court found that Graddick had wooed Republican voters to cross party lines in the primary runoff, and the Alabama Democratic Executive Committee disqualified him, making Baxley the primary winner. — al.com, "What’s it going to take, Alabama, to learn these are not your friends?," 5 June 2019 Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Castro, like others in the race, has staked out positions aimed at wooing African-American primary voters, and particularly black women. — Bill Lambrecht, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio’s Julián Castro pitches policing overhaul as he seeks edge over Democrats," 4 June 2019 The New York Times documented last year how the hotel industry tried to woo Democratic senators in an attempt to undermine home-sharing. — Colin Lecher, The Verge, "How conservative ‘property rights’ groups are battling cites’ Airbnb rules," 14 Aug. 2018 Some candidates have been running since 2016 to attract support, while others have thrown millions of dollars of their own money to woo voters. — Kimberlee Kruesi, The Seattle Times, "Open seats for top political offices draw crowded field," 13 May 2018 As parties woo local operators, clientelist groups will suffer internal schisms, further fracturing the remnants of the PRI. — Michael Lettieri, Washington Post, "Mexico votes tomorrow. Here’s how the country will be radically transformed when the PRI loses.," 30 June 2018 Merrill Lynch financial advisers are about to get some help wooing younger customers. — Rachel Louise Ensign, WSJ, "Merrill Makes a Play for Younger, Less Affluent Clients," 8 Apr. 2019 And the story’s signature sequence, in which Edward woos his future wife by conjuring a field of daffodils, is throat-catchingly romantic, with flowers blooming on the walls while the cast carries in more. — Daryl H. Miller, latimes.com, "Review: A life told in tall tales; 'Big Fish' at the Chance Theater," 12 July 2018 At last year’s election the party lost support in metropolitan areas, undoing a decade of patient work by David Cameron to woo socially liberal voters. — The Economist, "A culture war comes to Westminster," 5 July 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

17 Jun 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