woke up also waked up; woken up also waked up; waking up; wakes up
: awake entry 1, wake entry 1: such as
a
: to cease sleeping : to become awake
I woke up late this morning.
When I woke up on Monday the sky was the color of mercury, and the air was heavy with moisture.—
Ann M. Martin
Ann M. Martin
b
: to rouse (a person or animal) from or as if from sleep
The sound of a door slamming woke him up.
c
: to become aware or to make (someone) aware of something (such as an existing problem or danger)
They finally woke up and realized what was happening.
—usually used with toa study that woke people up to the importance of regular exercise
In 1997, … Jacob Nielsen predicted that if newspapers didn't wake up to the threat of online classified advertising and dominate the field by 1998, many of them would die within a decade.—Emily Benedek
Emily BenedekExamples of wake-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebCarly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024
The Big Bear Earthquake was literally a wake-up call.
—Jeffrey Marks, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024
Moscow’s aggression became a wake-up call for Ukraine’s military and ushered in major reforms.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2024
The past six months have been a wake-up call, Seligson says.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Recently, advocates say, this wake-up has been happening on a broader scale.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
Experts say the law, along with a trade-in program for sketchy uncertified bikes, is a national wake-up call that’s driving dubious players from the market.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
For some Israelis, largely among the Israeli Arab minority, Oct. 7 was a wake-up call that peace and regional progress won’t come without the Palestinians.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
The scene wasn’t anyone’s idea of a soothing wake-up ritual.
—Peter C. Baker, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 18 May 2024
The episode ended with Dave and Alex waking up in bed together right before their wedding.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 18 May 2024
Last Sunday, Ava Louise and her boyfriend, Vinny Buffa, woke up in their home in Jersey City, took the train into Midtown Manhattan, and Louise flashed her boobs to the people of Dublin.
—David MacK, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2024
The icing on top is waking up to the double view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Riviera.
—Martie Bowser, Essence, 16 May 2024
For some reason, on Mother's Day, we are expected to be woken up with breakfast in bed and have all the kids all around us at all times.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024
Roberts woke up early the next morning and realized her daughter had not returned.
—Marcus Mewborn, ABC News, 10 May 2024
Older folks know this quite well, and waking up each morning reminds us.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024
Shashi woke up with a start on Jan. 17, 1994, to the shaking of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
Adjective
Whoopi Goldberg is reflecting on her past drug use — and the wake-up call that led her to get clean — in her new memoir.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024
The Big Bear Earthquake was literally a wake-up call.
—Jeffrey Marks, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024
Moscow’s aggression became a wake-up call for Ukraine’s military and ushered in major reforms.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2024
The past six months have been a wake-up call, Seligson says.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Recently, advocates say, this wake-up has been happening on a broader scale.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
Experts say the law, along with a trade-in program for sketchy uncertified bikes, is a national wake-up call that’s driving dubious players from the market.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
For some Israelis, largely among the Israeli Arab minority, Oct. 7 was a wake-up call that peace and regional progress won’t come without the Palestinians.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
The scene wasn’t anyone’s idea of a soothing wake-up ritual.
—Peter C. Baker, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
The latest round of severe weather comes after Houston woke up to scenes of destruction.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 18 May 2024
The episode ended with Dave and Alex waking up in bed together right before their wedding.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 18 May 2024
Last Sunday, Ava Louise and her boyfriend, Vinny Buffa, woke up in their home in Jersey City, took the train into Midtown Manhattan, and Louise flashed her boobs to the people of Dublin.
—David MacK, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2024
The icing on top is waking up to the double view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Riviera.
—Martie Bowser, Essence, 16 May 2024
For some reason, on Mother's Day, we are expected to be woken up with breakfast in bed and have all the kids all around us at all times.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024
Roberts woke up early the next morning and realized her daughter had not returned.
—Marcus Mewborn, ABC News, 10 May 2024
Older folks know this quite well, and waking up each morning reminds us.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024
Shashi woke up with a start on Jan. 17, 1994, to the shaking of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wake-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wake-up
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wake-up. Accessed 22 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share