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

• ask (for)
• court
• flirt (with)
• invite

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

Its attempts last fall to woo American Athletic Conference schools Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA fell short. —Chris Vannini, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Males choose conspicuous basking locations — a rock, stucco wall or, well, a fence — to woo females and proclaim ownership of a territory. —Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Instead of rushing to meet with Trump, China is apparently wooing key US ally Japan to team up to oppose Trump's tariffs, Newsweek reported Wednesday. —ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2025

The Vessel Because of its 150-year heritage, Holland America Line has a reputation for wooing older travelers. —Demarco Williams, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

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