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

The Iran war now threatens that progress, just as the country is looking to woo foreign investors. —Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 16 Apr. 2026

Meanwhile, there are lots of conversations going on about tapping various parts of the Disney media empire to woo other audiences who might not ordinally tune in the football spectacle. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

Mohan has enough nerdiness to earn the respect of software engineers plus sufficient charm to woo advertisers. —Belinda Luscombe, Time, 15 Apr. 2026

But until a mid-play reveal that Nick didn’t do it, Jacki must assume, or at least consider, that she’s being wooed by a man who brutally raped and murdered a young mother of two. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Apr. 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