woo

[woo] /wu/
verb (used with object)
1.
to seek the favor, affection, or love of, especially with a view to marriage.
Synonyms: court, pursue, chase.
2.
to seek to win:
to woo fame.
Synonyms: cultivate.
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.
Synonyms: petition, sue, address, entreat; butter up.
verb (used without object)
5.
to seek the affection or love of someone, usually a woman; court:
He was reminded of his youth when he went wooing.
6.
to solicit favor or approval; entreat:
Further attempts to woo proved useless.
Origin
before 1050; Middle English wowe, Old English wōgian
Related forms
wooer, noun
wooingly, adverb
unwooed, adjective
Examples from the web for woo
  • Company has campaign to woo back colleges, but some educators say it's too little, too late.
  • But it is also because real-world agents woo customers by offering refunds for cancelled trips and generally going the extra mile.
  • Flowers evolved many colors to woo and nectar, an additional lure.
  • Both parties woo the amorphous middle, to the dismay of those voters who want political contours to be drawn sharply.
  • But to build the new facilities they need, the two universities must woo large donors, too.
  • woo was strangled the night before her body was found.
  • Merger-arbitrage funds must also woo hungry investors.
  • In the world of birds some species adopt similar aerial displays to woo their mates.
  • The president faces crucial parliamentary elections next year and needs to woo voters.
  • It was set as low as it was to woo opponents of higher university fees, who feared they would put off poor students.
British Dictionary definitions for woo

woo

/wuː/
verb woos, wooing, wooed
1.
to seek the affection, favour, or love of (a woman) 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)
Derived Forms
wooer, noun
wooing, noun
Word Origin
Old English wōgian, of obscure origin
Word Origin and History for woo
v.

Old English wogian, of uncertain origin and with no known cognates; perhaps related to woh, wog- "bent, inclined," as with affection.

Slang definitions & phrases for woo

woo

Related Terms

pitch woo


Idioms and Phrases with woo

woo

see: pitch woo