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

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

Spacek plays a cheerful widow whom Tucker amiably woos. — Soren Andersen, The Seattle Times, "‘The Old Man & the Gun’: Robert Redford rides off on a sweet, fitting note," 9 Oct. 2018 After breaking with 20th Century-Fox and flirting with an early retirement, she was wooed back to work by producer David O. Selznick. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "How Is the New A Star Is Born Different Than Its Predecessors? We’re So Glad You Asked," 3 Oct. 2018 And then some like woo woo sh*t, like essential oils and incense. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Lola Kirke Challenges the Meaning of Desire in Her New Music Video," 18 July 2018 Beginning in the 1990s, Southern states, desperate to replace manufacturing jobs lost when the textile industry decamped to Asia, wooed carmakers with tax breaks and other sweeteners. — Jack Ewing, New York Times, "Trump Voters May Be the Biggest Losers From Trump’s Auto Tariffs," 3 July 2018 For one, doing that will be the only likely way to potentially woo a current sitting Power Five athletic director, though landing someone of that magnitude will likely be difficult based on the football-specific issues the KU job presents. — Jesse Newell, kansascity, "KU's AD search reaches final stages. Jayhawks could pay up for their next sports leader," 27 June 2018 Even Japanese automakers are also wooing mapping services other than the national brand. — Yuri Kageyama, The Christian Science Monitor, "Japan inches closer to ultra-precise 3-D maps for self-driving cars," 14 June 2018 Known as the somehow irresistibly attractive male character with a deadpan delivery, Chad has already wooed both Benedict Cumberbatch, Saoirse Ronan and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. — Karen Mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Watch Ariana Grande's Fiancé Pete Davidson's Funniest Saturday Night Live Sketches," 11 June 2018 Argentina’s president, Mauricio Macri, took office in December 2015 with a goal of opening the country to international markets and wooing foreign investors after more than a decade of economic isolation. — Daniel Politi, New York Times, "Argentina Reaches $50 Billion Financing Deal With I.M.F.," 7 June 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about woo

Dictionary Entries near woo

Statistics for woo

Last Updated

18 Nov 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for woo

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

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for woo

woo

verb

English Language Learners Definition of woo

: 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