woke

[wohk]

verb

1. a simple past tense of wake.

adjective

1. 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.

2. Disparaging.,  as used by political opponents, of or relating to a liberal progressive orthodoxy.

3. 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.

4. awake.

   I had to drink lots of coffee this morning to stay woke.

woke

/ wəʊk /

verb

1. a past tense of wake 1

Other Word Forms

• unwoke adjective
• wokeism noun
• wokism noun
• wokeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of woke¹

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

The next morning, Chesson, who was 58 at the time and 17 years into a second career as a flight attendant, woke up feeling like her brain was on fire.

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Weiss then started a newsletter that eventually grew into the Free Press, positioning the news and opinion site as a check on what she saw as the media’s adherence to a “woke” ideology.

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It is known for railing against what is called woke orthodoxy and has been a strong defender of Israel in its war against Hamas.

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He and his wife were in Wyoming, finishing up a camping trip; they woke up to six inches of snow and no cell-phone service.

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One morning in early September, refrigeration consultant Lawrence Leask woke before 3 a.m., got into his car in pajamas and slippers and waited.

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Related Words

• enlightened 
• multiculturally sensitive www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

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."