Woof

/wuːf/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang

intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The set of yarns carried by the shuttle of a loom which are placed crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp; the weft.
  • Grammar: woof is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: weft, arf, bark, barked.
  • Useful contrasts: hush, literalize, quiet.
  • Usage evidence: The various animals started going, "Woof, woof!" and "Meow, meow!" and "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

How to use "woof"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "woof" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "woof" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "woof" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "woof" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "woof" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "weft" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "woof", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The set of yarns carried by the shuttle of a loom which are placed crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp; the weft.

    "When the plage of leproſye is in a cloth: […] that cloth ſhalbe burnt, ether warpe or wolfe, whether it be wollen or lynen or any thynge that is made of ſkynne where the plage is, […]"

  2. 2
    The sound a dog makes when barking; a bark. rare, transitive
  3. 3
    Initialism of well-off older folks. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  4. 4
    the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving wordnet
  5. 5
    A woven fabric; also, the texture of a fabric. broadly

    "[T]his is no lavv unto the vvoof of the neat Retiarie Spider, vvhich ſeems to vveave vvithout tranſverſion, and by the union of right lines to make out a continued ſurface, vvhich is beyond the common art of Textury, and may ſtill nettle Minerva the Godeſſe of that myſtery."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    A sound resembling a dog's bark. broadly, rare, transitive

    "He looked up and out a moment as there came to his ear, dully but unmistakably above the roar of the engine, the hoarse "woof" of a bursting anti-aircraft shell."

  2. 7
    The thread or yarn used to form the weft of woven fabric; the fill, the weft. broadly, poetic

    "[F]irſt I muſt put off / Theſe my skie robes ſpun out of Iris vvooffe, / And take the vveeds and likeneſſe of a Svvaine, […]"

  3. 8
    A sound resembling a dog's bark.; A low-frequency sound of bad quality produced by a loudspeaker. broadly, rare, transitive
  4. 9
    Synonym of weaving (“the process of making woven material on a loom”). obsolete, rare

    "Mean time Alcyone (his Fate unknovvn) / Computes hovv many Nights he had been gone, / […] / Againſt the promis'd Time provides vvith care, / And haſtens in the VVoof the Robes he vvas to vvear: / And for her Self employs another Loom, / Nevv-dreſs'd to meet her Lord returning home, / Flatt'ring her Heart vvith Joys that never vvere to come: […]"

  5. 10
    Something which is interwoven with another thing. figuratively

    "[T]he woof of self-interest is so cunningly interwoven with the warp of righteous feeling that very few of us can tell where the threads cross."

  6. 11
    An underlying foundation or structure of something; a fabric. figuratively

    "The proces of that Oration was of the ſame woofe and thrid with the beginning; […]"

Verb
  1. 1
    To place (yarns) crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp in a loom. rare, transitive

    "And warp well the long threads, / The bright threads, the strong threads; / Woof well the cross threads, / To make the colours shine."

  2. 2
    To say (something) in an aggressive or boastful manner. figuratively, rare, transitive
  3. 3
    Alternative form of wwoof. alt-of, alternative, intransitive, rare, transitive

    "Our two children are immediately involved in a frantic game of touch rugby orchestrated by Vinny, an Irish backpacker, who is WOOFing his way around New Zealand."

  4. 4
    To interweave (something) with another thing; to weave (several things) together. figuratively, rare, transitive

    "Here and there, where the land has not been cleared and the tide of dense swamp-forest closes upon the road, one gazes into the fearful tangle of vegetation, warped and woofed together by lianas and creeping plants of every description, and then realises what the work of clearing has been."

  5. 5
    To eat (food) voraciously; to devour, to gobble, to wolf. informal, rare, transitive

    "[N]othing makes me feel better than to see my dog's woofing down their food."

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    Of a dog: to bark. intransitive, rare, transitive

    "A nondescript cur came out from behind the house, stopped in surprise, and started good-naturedly woof-woofing at me, his eyes slit, his shaggy belly all muddy, and then walked about a little and woofed once more."

  2. 7
    Of a person or thing: to make a sound resembling a dog's bark. intransitive, rare, transitive

    "A few minutes later a new [grizzly] bear came out on the big log upstream— […] Within seconds she knew something was wrong. She woofed, bounded off the log and came raging down toward us through the timber. There, not far away, she smashed back and forth, woofing and growling."

  3. 8
    To speak in an aggressive or boastful manner. figuratively, intransitive, rare, transitive

    ""Miss, you know uh heap uh dese hard heads wants to woof at you but dey skeered." / "How come, Mr. Pitts? Do I look like a bear or panther?" / "Naw, but dey say youse rich and dey ain't got de nerve to open dey mouf.""

Intj
  1. 1
    Used to indicate the sound of a dog barking, or something resembling it. rare, transitive

    "Presently, from the depths of the bush behind us, came a loud "woof, woof!" "That's a lion," said I, and we all started up to listen."

  2. 2
    Used to express strong physical attraction for someone. humorous, rare, transitive

    "I see a hardworking man, with a smile that lights up a room—very sexy—woof!"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Alternative form of WWOOF; a network organization that helps wwoofers connect up with organic farms that are offering work opportunities. alt-of, alternative

    "They also run classes, pizza nights, and welcome WOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) voluntary apprentices."

Synonyms

All synonyms
weftarfbarkbarkedbarkingbarks

Example

"The various animals started going, "Woof, woof!" and "Meow, meow!" and "Cock-a-doodle-doo!""

Common questions

What does "woof" mean?

The set of yarns carried by the shuttle of a loom which are placed crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp; the weft.

What is a synonym for "woof"?

Common synonyms include: weft, arf, bark, barked, barking, barks.

How do you use "woof" in a sentence?

The various animals started going, "Woof, woof!" and "Meow, meow!" and "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

How do you pronounce "woof"?

Pronounced /wuːf/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is derived from Middle English wof, oof, owf (“threads in a piece of woven fabric at right angles to the warp, weft, woof; also sometimes the warp; transverse filaments of a spider web”) [and other forms] (the forms beginning with w were influenced by warp and weft), from Old English ōwef, āwef, from ō-, ā- (prefix meaning ‘away; from; off; out’) + *wef (“web”) (only attested in the form gewef (“woof”); from wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban (“to weave”), from Proto-Germanic *webaną (“to weave”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid; to weave”)). The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology 2

The interjection and noun are onomatopoeic. Interjection etymology 2 sense 2 (“used to express strong physical attraction for someone”) probably alludes to the eager barking of a dog. The verb is probably derived from the interjection and the noun. Verb etymology 2 sense 1.2 (“to eat (food) voraciously”) may be influenced by or, alternatively, derived from wolf (“to eat (food) voraciously, devour, gobble”).

Etymology 3

From WWOOF, an acronym of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms which is a network of national organizations that facilitate homestays on organic farms.

More for "woof"

Synonyms

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