woke
Americanverb
adjective
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having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities: He took one African American history class and now he thinks he’s woke.
In light of incidents of police brutality, it’s important to stay woke.
He took one African American history class and now he thinks he’s woke.
This generation of kids is trying to make woke choices in life.
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Disparaging. as used by political opponents, of or relating to a liberal progressive orthodoxy.
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Slang. aware of the facts, true situation, etc. (sometimes used facetiously).
Stay woke—always read a contract before you sign it, and know your rights.
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awake.
I had to drink lots of coffee this morning to stay woke.
verb
Usage
What else does woke mean? Woke means being conscious of racial discrimination in society and other forms of oppression and injustice. In mainstream use, woke can also more generally describe someone or something as being "with it."
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of woke
First recorded before 900 as past tense woke ( for def. 1 ); 1960–65 woke ( for defs. 2, 4 ), popularized by the Black civil rights movement and later by Black Lives Matter
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“But You Just Woke Me Up” is a midtempo number with a pulse that recalls new wave, and it’s about the difficulty of moving on when you can’t put a relationship behind you.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025
Woke up a little mournful about the fact that Otto will die someday, despite the fact that he still plays like a puppy.
From Salon • Feb. 9, 2025
Undaunted, he published The Dictionary of Woke three years later.
From Slate • Jan. 5, 2025
He then called Dimmock “a Woke Toby Flenderson,” referencing the hapless and often bullied human resources director on the TV show “The Office.”
From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2024
Woke up gasping in horror—then fell asleep and had the same dream again and again, at least three times in a row.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
