woof

"Woof" is the written form people often use for a dog's bark, especially a deep or solid one. It is the kind of sound you might hear when a dog is saying hello, asking for attention, getting excited, or warning someone to stay back. People use it in stories, comics, and everyday speech when they want to copy the sound a dog makes. The word also has a second meaning in cloth making: it can mean the threads that run across a woven fabric.

"Woof" is most often the sound word people write when they want to show a dog barking, especially a low or full bark. You might see it in a children's book, hear someone say it while telling a story, or spot it in a comic beside a barking dog. It can suggest many moods depending on the moment: a happy bark at the door, a warning bark at a stranger, or a playful bark during a game. People also repeat it as "woof woof" when they want the sound to feel more lively or natural.

The word is not limited to sound effects on a page. In casual speech, someone might say a dog "went woof" to tell a simple story about what happened. In that use, the word works as an easy human version of the bark, not as a scientific description of animal sound. Different dogs sound different, of course, but "woof" is one of the most common English ways to represent that bark.

There is also an older textile meaning. In weaving, "woof" can mean the crosswise threads in a woven fabric; this meaning is closely related to "weft." Because of that sense, English also has the phrase "warp and woof," which can describe the basic form or substance of something, such as the warp and woof of daily life.

The exact sound can change a little in real life. One dog may give a short, sharp bark, while another gives a longer, heavier one. Even so, "woof" stays easy to recognize in English as a dog sound. In short, it usually refers to a dog's bark, but in the right context it can also refer to the crosswise threads in woven cloth.