Do you know the definition of woo? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word woo, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
-
Kevin -
September 17, 2021 -
Common Questions
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
What does the word woo mean?
According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word woo is a verb which means to entice or seek the affection and favor of, or to seek after, often and esp. in a specific sense of romance. If someone woors someone, that person entreaties another by their own action, often in creative ways and further attempts. Woo is also a New York gang created in Brooklyn by Pop Smoke. The pronunciation of woo is wuː.
There are many other languages that contain words meaning woo. You might notice that many of these words look and sound similarly to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing as well as look and sound similar across languages. This often happens when the two words or languages share a common Greek or Latin root or language of origin like Latin or Greek. This list of translations for the word woo is provided by Word Sense.
- Romanian: curta
- Dutch: het hof maken
- Finnish: kosiskella, riiata, vokotella
- Portuguese: cortejar
- Japanese: 求愛
- Swedish: uppvakta, kurtisera, svärma
- Italian: corteggiare
- Turkish: kur yapmak, (slang) yazmak, (slang) asılmak
- Russian: уха́живать (impf), сва́таться (impf), добива́ться расположе́ния
- Hungarian: udvarol
- Mandarin: 追求 (zhuīqiú), 求愛, 求爱 (qiú’ài)
- French: courtiser, faire la cour
- Ido: kurtezar
- German: den Hof machen
- Arabic: تَوَدَّدَ
- Spanish: cortejar, (Chile, informal) pololear, (Chile, slang) jotear
- Danish: kurtisere
- Maori: aruaru, whakaipo, whaipo, whakawhaipo, mātoro
- Czech: dvořit se
- Greek: κορτάρω
What is the origin of the word woo?
According to Etymonline, the word woo (vb) has been used since the Old English wogian, Old English wōgian and Middle English wowe/Middle English wowen/woȝen. This word is of uncertain origin and unknown origin, but woo is a cognate with the Scots wow, Old English wōg , wōh meaning “bending or crookedness”, used in the sense of “to bend or incline someone towards oneself”. This derived from the Proto-Germanic wanhō meaning “a bend or angle”, from the Proto-Indo-European wonk and Proto-Indo-European wā related to Old Norse vá.
How can the word woo be used in a sentence?
The word woo can be used in many different sentences in the English language. Below are a few examples of woo. Try making flashcards or a quiz to memorize this word’s definition and using this word of the day in a sentence today!
The young woman was wooed to fame, leading to her own destruction.
He wooed the man from Princeton University into a romantic relationship with his romantic affection.
The ad campaign wooed new customers away from their usual brand. The new employees who came up with the idea for the campaign were celebrated.
The young Fox was the wooer of a woman he later made Mrs Fox, and with which he had a baby girl. Their lives were filled with mirth.
What are synonyms and antonyms of woo?
There are many different words and phrases that someone can use in place of the word woo. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are a useful English grammatical device to know. They are an easy way to build your vocabulary, and can help you avoid repeating yourself in conversation and written works. This list of synonyms for the word woo is provided by Power Thesaurus.
- solicit
- blandish
- kiss-up
- play up to
- try to attract
- tempt
- spoon
- become engaged
- seek the favour of
- run after
- beg
- inveigle
- persuade
- make a date
- seek the support of
- cultivate
- go after
- flirt
- bill and coo
- make overture
- walk out with
- entice
- pursue
- ask for the hand of
- woohoo
- set one’s cap at
- go steady with
- cuddle
- dally
- flirt with
- seduce
- fall all over
- propose
- spark
- address
- see
- courting
- apple-polish
- date
- entreat
- pay court to
- be involved with
- set your cap at
- try to win
- go out with
- step around
- pay your addresses to
- endeavor
- go around together
- twist
- seek
- pander
- lead on
- captivate
- go steady
- be servile
- be obsequious
- step out with
- chase
- curry favor
- charm
- coax
- cotton
- have over
- pay addresses to
- allure
- honey up
- keep company with
- curry favour with
- be romantically linked with
- curry favor with
- deuce it
- buddy up
- attract
- make love
- bootlick
- ask in marriage
- cajole
- court
- flatter
- pop the question
- cater to
- be at beck and call
- brownnose
- try to cultivate
- brown-nose
- wooing
- make love to
- pay suit to
- ogle
- bait the hook
- caress
- butter up
- go around with
- suck up to
- romance
- fawn
- invite
- go together
- cortege
- serenade
- make up to
- seek the hand of
There are also numerous different words that have the opposite definition as the word digress. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are also useful to know if you are working on expanding your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word woo is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
- exasperate
- needle
- affront
- nark
- annoy
- bug
- rasp
- ride
- degenerate
- pique
- get across
- rub someone up the wrong way
- discourage
- provoke
- ignore
- get on someone’s wick
- aggravate
- bother
- give someone the hump
- rile
- jar on
- despise
- decay
- get
- hump
- exacerbate
- get someone’s back up
- irk
- put someone’s back up
- friend zone
- get under someone’s skin
- rankle
- displease
- nettle
- grate on
- get to
- get someone’s goat
- deport
- put out
- infuriate
- make someone’s hackles rise
- get in someone’s hair
- irritate
- piss off
- miff
- get on someone’s nerves
- gravel
- hack off
- peeve
- get up someone’s nose
Overall, the word woo means to venture after a person’s affections. This word is of unknown origin.
Sources:
