woo

1 of 2

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

wooer

2 of 2

noun

woo·​er

ˈwüə(r), 

ˈwu̇(ə)r, 

ˈwu̇ə

plural -s

: one that woos : suitor, lover

Synonyms of woo

Verb

• invite
• seek

Examples of woo in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

And lawmakers from states newer to the early-primary lineup are already preparing to elevate what matters to their constituents, as they get wooed by presidential aspirants. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

To woo the American artist best known for his curvaceous and colorful Balloon Dog sculptures, Hublot invited him to its Nyon, Switzerland, home base. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

Related Stories The latter who wooed viewers with her portrait of tax inspector Sara Santano, returns here with a new tax evasion case. — Annika Pham, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

There was a very enthusiastic response to the movie in the room, with Cruz and Bardem sharing hugs during the applause and woos from the crowd. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English wowen, from Old English wōgian

Noun

Middle English wowere, from Old English wōgere, from wōgian to woo + -ere -er

First Known Use

Verb

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