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woe
[ woh ]
noun
- profound grief or distress:
His woe at the terrible news was almost beyond description.
Synonyms: , , , ,
Antonyms:
- an affliction or cause of distress:
She suffered a fall, among her other woes.
interjection
- an exclamation of grief, distress, or lamentation.
woe
/ əʊ /
noun
- literary.intense grief or misery
- often plural affliction or misfortune
- woe betide someonemisfortune will befall someone
woe betide you if you arrive late
interjection
- archaic.Alsowoe is me an exclamation of sorrow or distress
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of woe1
Idioms and Phrases
- woe betide, trouble or punishment will come upon (someone) if they take the specified action: Also woe to.
Woe betide anybody who laughed or continued to talk while he was playing.
Rules about court reporting are strict, and woe betide those who fall foul of them.
Woe to the pedestrian who gets in a cyclist's way.
- woe is me, (used to lament one's own distress, affliction, or trouble, sometimes humorously):
Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Please don't get the wrong impression, thinking this is a “woe is me” story.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Her appearance was viewed as more about style than substance, giving her an opportunity to stand before cameras and show she is trying to address the city’s budget woes.
Driving Tesla’s woes is Musk’s deteriorating reputation, Ives said, which has led to protests and boycotts against Tesla and incidents of vandalism on Tesla vehicles and chargers.
Bass portrayed the downturn in economic activity and the soaring cost of legal payouts as the biggest drivers of the city’s budget woes.
Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Harris and columnists Bill Plaschke and Dylan Hernández discuss where the team’s pitching woes are, how they might improve and which Dodgers Debate reporter is most stylish?
Problems with a tax demand made headlines in 2024 and suggested the move to Hertfordshire had not solved the financial woes.
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Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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