wake-up call

as in warning
something that tells of approaching danger or risk his high blood pressure was a wake-up call that he needed to do something about his health

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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 wake-up call The persistence of that finding should be a wake-up call for employers already battling high turnover and labor shortages. Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023 Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said. Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023 Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023 Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for wake-up call
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake-up call
Noun
  • Additionally, extreme fire weather conditions will take place in the Southwest on Sunday, with red flag warnings in effect for parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado.
    Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Sunday’s gale warning is in effect until Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
    Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Fewer fish in the lake or fish with deformities, parasites or injuries would be red flags going into spawning season.
    Asher Redd, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025
  • But for Trump, this economic red flag is at the very least inconvenient.
    Susan Page, USA Today, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • The combination of net-front traffic and a red light behind Connor Hellebuyck would have been all too familiar, but even Walker’s deflection didn’t let the air all of the way out of the building.
    Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 1 May 2025
  • Still, some options will also include a red light setting, which produces less of a blinding effect for others, and strobe effects for emergency signaling.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • Additionally, self-care can sometimes be a sign of confidence and longevity, rather than simply personal maintenance.
    Rhiannon Frater, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Talks are ongoing between the U.S. and teams from Kyiv and Moscow, but Washington threatened last week to quit negotiations if there was no imminent signs of compromise.
    Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

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