woo

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈwuː/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/wu/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(wo̅o̅)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
woo /wu/USA pronunciation   v. [+ object]
  1. to seek the love of, esp. with a view to marriage:He wooed his lady love.
  2. to seek or invite:to woo fame.
  3. to seek to persuade (a person, group, etc.), as to do something:The new tax plan was not enough to woo the voters to change their vote.
woo•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
woo  (wo̅o̅),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to seek the favor, affection, or love of, esp. with a view to marriage.
  2. to seek to win:to woo fame.
  3. to invite (consequences, whether good or bad) by one's own action;
    court:to woo one's own destruction.
  4. to seek to persuade (a person, group, etc.), as to do something;
    solicit;
    importune.

v.i. 
  1. to make love to a woman;
    court:He went wooing.
  2. to solicit favor or approval;
    entreat:Further attempts to woo proved useless.
  • Middle English wowe, Old English wōgian bef. 1050
wooer, n. 
wooing•ly, adv. 
    • 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged petition, sue, address, entreat.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
woo / wuː/ (woos, wooing, wooed)
  1. to seek the affection, favour, or love of (someone) with a view to marriage
  2. (transitive) to seek after zealously or hopefully: to woo fame
  3. (transitive) to bring upon oneself (good or evil results) by one's own action
  4. (transitive) to beg or importune (someone)
Etymology: Old English wōgian, of obscure originˈwooerˈwooing
'woo' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: woo [her, new customers], woo her into [submission, marriage, marrying], woo him with [sweet words, presents, promises], more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "woo" in the title:


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