woo

verb

ˈwü 

wooed; wooing; woos

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

Synonyms

• invite
• seek

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

Novak stars as Gillian, a chic Greenwich Village witch in the Beatnik era who owns an odd art gallery, has an unusual black cat, and uses magic to woo her neighbor (Stewart). —Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025

The annual spectacle, with thousands of media buyers and advertisers crisscrossing Manhattan to be wooed and pitched by TV networks, has already transformed into something more corporate. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025

Looking to woo higher-income shoppers, David’s Bridal has opened its second Diamonds & Pearls store — an outpost in Burlington, Mass. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025

Encouraging firms to allocate more shares for retail investors risks putting off the foreign institutions Saudi Arabia is simultaneously trying to woo. —Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wowen, from Old English wōgian

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing woo

• woo-hoo
• woo-woo

Rhymes for woo

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

woo

verb

ˈwü 

1

: to try to gain the love of : court

2

: to seek to gain or bring about

political candidates wooing public support