Meaning & use
trying to woo someone
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Making an effort to gain someone's love or support, often through attention or gifts.
Grammar: The phrase is used as a continuous verb phrase; it can be followed by 'with' to specify the means, e.g., 'trying to woo someone with flowers.'
Patterns
- trying to woo someone with something
- trying to woo someone away from someone
He's been trying to woo someone special with handwritten poems.
The company is trying to woo someone new to lead the project.
She spent months trying to woo someone who wasn't interested.
Common combinations
- trying to woo someone with
- He's trying to woo someone with expensive dinners.
- trying to woo someone away
- The rival team is trying to woo someone away from our company.
- trying to woo someone back
- After the breakup, he's trying to woo someone back.
- trying to woo voters
- The candidate is trying to woo voters in rural areas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- court
- More formal and old-fashioned, often used for romantic pursuit with the intention of marriage.
- charm
- Focuses on using personality or flattery to please someone, not necessarily romantic.
- win over
- More general; means to gain someone's support or favor, often by persuasion.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: trying to woo someone or woo?
trying to woo someone vs woo
Not to be confused with 'woe' (sorrow) or 'woo' as in 'woo-hoo' (excitement).
Practice
Which sentence uses 'trying to woo someone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition to show the means is 'with': 'trying to woo someone with his kindness.' The other prepositions do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trying to woo someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.