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 of woo

• 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

Talent agencies last year expressed interest in signing AI actor Tilly Norwood, sparking outrage among Hollywood celebrities yet wooing studios who found Norwood a potentially profitable venture. —Jake Angelo, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026

Under Hill, Nike has been working to woo back wholesale partners, clean out stale inventory and reignite innovation. —Sara Eisen,gabrielle Fonrouge,jessica Golden, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026

Nothing like it Eric Schickler, a political scientist at the University of California at Berkeley, points out that presidents more typically try to woo the places that voted against them. —Ronald Brownstein, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026

And a whole succession of leaders from countries that are nominally still American allies — Britain, Germany, South Korea — are wooing rather than shunning Beijing to deepen economic cooperation. —Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026

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