woke

[ wohk ]
See synonyms for woke on Thesaurus.com
verb
  1. a simple past tense of wake1.

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: 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.

  1. 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.

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

Origin of woke

1
First recorded before 900 as past tense(for def. 1); 1960–65 (for defs. 2, 4), popularized by the Black civil rights movement and later by Black Lives Matter

Other words from woke

  • un·woke, adjective
  • woke·ism, wok·ism, noun
  • woke·ness, noun

Words Nearby woke

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use woke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for woke

woke

/ (wəʊk) /


verb
  1. a past tense of wake 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012