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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

woe

/woʊ/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:55
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What does woe mean?

noun

  1. Great sadness or distress; a misfortune causing such sadness.
  2. Calamity, trouble.
  3. A curse; a malediction.
More meanings (3)

noun

  1. (slang) A close friend; a nigga, homie or bro.

adjective

  1. (obsolete) Woeful; sorrowful

interjection

  1. (archaic) An exclamation of grief.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/woʊ/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

And my father’s woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home all was the work of my thrice-accursed hands!
Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyFrankenstein; or, the modern prometheusProject Gutenberg ebook #84
I, in mine own woe charm’d, Could not find death where I did hear him groan, Nor feel him where he struck.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100
More book examples (3)
Between the shame of this and his woe Jurgis could not stand it, and got up and rushed out into the rain.
Upton SinclairThe JungleProject Gutenberg ebook #140
On gaining my master’s store, I presented an appearance of wretchedness and woe, fitted to move any but a heart of stone.
Frederick DouglassMy Bondage and My FreedomProject Gutenberg ebook #202
It also frequently happened, that the interior ravages were not revealed by any external scar, and in that case, woe to the sewermen.
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135