Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

1 VERB If you woo people, you try to encourage them to help you, support you, or vote for you, for example by promising them things which they would like. □ [V n] They wooed customers by offering low interest rates. □ [V n with adv] They are trying to woo back electoral support. ●  woo|ing N‑UNCOUNT [oft poss N ] □ [+ of ] …the candidates' wooing of each other's traditional political bases.

2 VERB If a man woos a woman, he spends time with her and tries to persuade her to marry him. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ [V n] The penniless author successfully wooed and married Fanny. ●  woo|ing N‑UNCOUNT [oft poss N ] □ [+ of ] …the hero's wooing of his beautiful cousin Roxanne.

wood ◆◆◇ /wʊ d/ (woods )

1 N‑VAR Wood is the material which forms the trunks and branches of trees. □  Their dishes were made of wood. □  There was a smell of damp wood and machine oil. □  …a short piece of wood.

2 N‑COUNT A wood is a fairly large area of trees growing near each other. You can refer to one or several of these areas as woods , and this is the usual form in American English. □  After dinner Alice slipped away for a walk in the woods with Artie. □  About a mile to the west of town he came upon a large wood.

3 → see also dead wood

4 PHRASE If something or someone is not out of the woods yet, they are still having difficulties or problems. [INFORMAL ] □  The nation's economy is not out of the woods yet.

5 CONVENTION You can say ' touch wood ' in British English, or ' knock on wood ' in American English, to indicate that you hope to have good luck in something you are doing, usually after saying that you have been lucky with it so far. □  She's never even been to the doctor's, touch wood. □  Touch wood, I've been lucky enough to avoid any other serious injuries.

6your neck of the woods → see neck

7can't see the wood for the trees → see tree

woo d-burning sto ve (wood-burning stoves ) N‑COUNT A wood-burning stove is the same as a wood stove .

woo d carv|ing (wood carvings ) N‑VAR A wood carving is a decorative piece of wood that has been carved in an artistic way.

wood|chip /wʊ dtʃ I p/ (woodchips )

1 N‑UNCOUNT Woodchip is a type of wallpaper which has lots of small lumps on its surface that are formed by tiny pieces of wood glued to the underneath.

2 N‑VAR Woodchips are very small pieces of wood, usually made from waste wood, which are used in processes such as making paper. □  …the domestic market for woodchips. □  …the Government's decision to cut woodchip exports by 20%.

wood|cock /wʊ dkɒk/ (woodcocks or woodcock ) N‑COUNT A woodcock is a small brown bird with a long beak. Woodcock are sometimes shot for sport or food.

wood|cutter /wʊ dkʌtə ^r / (woodcutters ) N‑COUNT A woodcutter is someone who cuts down trees or who chops wood as their job. [OLD-FASHIONED ]

wood|ed /wʊ d I d/ ADJ A wooded area is covered in trees. □  …a wooded valley.

wood|en ◆◇◇ /wʊ d ^ə n/

1 ADJ [ADJ n] Wooden objects are made of wood. □  …the shop's bare brick walls and faded wooden floorboards.

2 ADJ If you describe an actor as wooden , you are critical of them because their performance is not at all lively or natural. [DISAPPROVAL ]

woo d|en spoo n (wooden spoons )

1 N‑COUNT A wooden spoon is a spoon that is used for stirring sauces and for mixing ingredients in cooking. It is made of wood and has a long handle.

2 N‑COUNT If someone gets the wooden spoon , they come last in a race or competition. [BRIT ] □ [+ in ] Jarvis took the wooden spoon in the first tournament.

wood|land /wʊ dlənd/ (woodlands ) N‑VAR Woodland is land with a lot of trees.