Word
woo
Phoneticswoo
US/ˈwu/
UK/wˈuː/
Definitions
01to seek support
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to try to get someone's support or business, often by being very nice to them.
v. to seek the support, business, or approval of a person or group through persistent effort or persuasion.
“The company is trying to woo new customers with big discounts.”
“The political candidate spent months trying to woo undecided voters in the rural districts through a series of town hall meetings.”
02to seek love
C1 · Advanced Literary
v. to try to make someone fall in love with you.
v. to seek the affection or romantic interest of another person, typically with the intent of marriage or a serious relationship.
“In the old story, the knight tried to woo the princess with poetry.”
“He attempted to woo her with grand gestures and expensive gifts, though she remained largely unimpressed by his displays of wealth.”
03pseudoscientific
C2 · Proficiency Slang · Informal
adj. describing ideas about magic or health that are not based on science.
adj. relating to or involving irrational or pseudoscientific beliefs, especially those concerning alternative medicine or the supernatural.
“I don't really like that shop; they sell a lot of woo crystals and magic rocks.”
“The documentary was criticized for promoting woo-woo theories about energy healing that have no basis in clinical research.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object.
Pitfall
He tried to woo with her.
He tried to woo her.
Woo is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'with' before the object.
Real-World Examples
“He wasn’t convinced he wanted to leave New York, he explained, but was swayed by the excitement other teams were showing as they tried to woo him.” “In Korean dramas, romantic scenes between young adults sometimes feature aegyo speech, as one character tries to woo another by appearing more endearing to their love interest.” - Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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