woke

verb

variants also waked
Definition of wokenext
past tense of wake
1
as in awoke
to cause to stop sleeping my banging around in the kitchen woke my wife

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awakened
to cease to be asleep I woke with a start when the door slammed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in warned
to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or risk a public service announcement designed to wake people to the dangers of aggressive driving

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of woke The best music; Cars still had a little style and nothing woke about sports. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026 When Silvia Passiflora traveled to New Orleans, music coming from outside of her hotel room woke her up. — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice for DAYS OF THUNDER NASCAR audience who are MAGA. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 Maribeth Graham depicts the overly woke Suzanne, whose whole life is wrapped up in keeping Eureka Day inclusive. — Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026 Aston Martin specialist Nicholas Mee & Company recently woke the car from a near 40-year slumber to return it to road-going condition. — New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2026 Troopers woke the man and found open intoxicants on the passenger seat, MSP said. — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 In the beginning, Piker wanted to show young men that leftists could be fun — not just woke social-justice warriors and PC scolds. — Josh Eells, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 Participants gained more total sleep time, fell asleep faster, slept more soundly and woke less during the night. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woke
  1. awoke
  2. awakened
  3. warned
  4. roused
  5. alerted
Verb
  • The boy awoke at a family cottage in northern Ontario in 2024 with a bat resting across his nose and mouth.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Some of the incidents have turned violent The latest bear attack in Colorado occurred early Wednesday when a homeless man sleeping in Aspen's Rio Grande Park awoke to find a bear biting his head, according to CPW officials.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of awoke
Verb
  • On that fateful morning, Siby was awakened by a frantic phone call from a co-worker’s wife and turned on his TV to see the North Tower engulfed in flames.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The film starts in Paris but Taro’s story begins in her native Leipzig in 1932, where Gerta Pohorylle, as she is then known, is a young woman whose political conscience is awakened by the rise of fascism.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of awakened
Verb
  • Winter warned that the practice can cause skin irritation, worsen existing cracks on the feet and open small cuts that let bacteria in.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
  • France’s own prime minister has warned that reneging on the national debt would force the country to borrow at exorbitant interest rates, just as the government must turn to the bond market to raise more than $360 billion this year.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of warned
Verb
  • Every third morning Soumia Bensalah was roused before the break of dawn.
    — Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • But Brown gained a step on Mitchell on Thursday and hauled in a touchdown that roused the home crowd.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of roused
Verb
  • Five days later, an anonymous caller alerted the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division that Deutsch was allegedly physically and mentally abusing the child.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Six days earlier, Ross’ former campaign manager alerted the Joplin Police Department that Ross was attempting to plant drugs on his opponent, according to an affidavit submitted by FBI agent Brandon Bernhardt.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of alerted

Browse Nearby Words

woes
woke
woken
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Cite this Entry

“Woke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woke. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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