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

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 Wander from the creamy pastels of a Venetian palazzo into a sumptuous, boudoir-like interior, and then to a bustling and bawdy room celebrating Casanova’s cunning: gambling, prognosticating, and wooing nuns. — Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "MFA’s ‘Casanova’ a voluptuous look at a notorious voluptuary," 6 July 2018 Or maybe Deep Silver is just more concerned about wooing an American audience first. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Metro Exodus is skipping Steam for the Epic Games Store, and passing the savings on to you," 28 Jan. 2019 After wooing the Queen City in April at the Homecoming music festival, Dessner and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon will release their debut album as Big Red Machine Aug. 31. — Carrie Blackmore Smith, Cincinnati.com, "A different kind of Big Red Machine is back," 13 July 2018 While elaborate acts of wooing are all fine and good, sometimes, the best way to connect with someone is cuddled on the couch. — refinery29.com, "The Perfect Date Night (Or Netflix & Chill) Movies," 2 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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Statistics for woo

Last Updated

20 May 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