noun
woe
woh
noun
1
Deep sadness or distress, or a misfortune that causes it.
"He poured out his woes to anyone who would listen."
"Financial woes forced the company to lay off staff."
intj
1
An exclamation expressing grief or dismay.
""Woe is me," she sighed, staring at the wreckage."
How to Use Woe
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGreat sorrow or trouble, or the misfortunes that cause it.
When to use it
"Woe is me" is deliberately old-fashioned and now used mostly in a joking, self-mocking way.
Common pairings
tales of woe
woe betide
financial woes
Word Forms
more woe comparative, woes plural, woes plural, most woe superlative
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Etymology
From Old English wā, an ancient cry of grief found across many Indo-European languages — related to Latin vae and Ancient Greek οὐαί, both also meaning "woe!"