Former President Donald Trump said he doesn't like the term 'woke.' Here's what it means.

Former President Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters he doesn’t like the term “woke,” arguing that people using the term don’t know what it means.

“I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear ‘woke woke woke.’ It’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it, they don’t know what it is,” Trump said Thursday during remarks at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa.

It’s not the first time Trump has used the term “woke” as criticism. Trump during a town hall event on Fox News on Thursday addressed the armed forces, saying military members are “not learning to fight” and “want to go woke.” The former president on Sunday shared on Truth Social that “Disney has become a Woke and Disgusting shadow of its former self.”

Trump alleged that “this all happened” under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, targeting one of his top opponents in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. DeSantis has also criticized the term, saying Florida is “where woke goes to die.”

But what does woke mean? Here’s what you need to know.

What is the meaning of 'woke'? Once a term used by Black Americans, it's now a rallying cry for GOP

A GOP war on 'woke'? Most Americans view the term as a positive, USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds

What does woke mean?

Black Americans have used the word “woke” since at least the 20th century, meaning to be aware of racial and social injustice. Pan-African activist Marcus Garvey used a version of the term as early as 1923, and it was popularized by some Blues artists.

But as the Black Lives Matter movement spread following the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, the term “woke” was used more frequently outside of Black communities in the United States.

A USA TODAY/Ipsos poll released in March found that a majority of Americans are inclined to see the word “woke” as a positive attribute, not a negative one. Fifty-six percent of people surveyed in the poll said the term means “to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices." That includes three-fourths of Democrats and more than a third of Republicans.

Thirty-nine percent said the word means "to be overly politically correct and police others' words."

Contributing: Susan Page and Mabinty Quarshie, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump said he doesn't like the word 'woke.' Here's what it means.