awaken

verb

awak·​en ə-ˈwā-kən How to pronounce awaken (audio)
awakened; awakening ə-ˈwāk-niŋ How to pronounce awaken (audio)
ə-ˈwā-kə-
; awakens

transitive + intransitive

: awake
He was awakened by a knock at the door.
I awakened from a deep sleep.
She awakened to the smell of bacon and eggs.
news that the long-dormant volcano is now awakening
a new generation awakening to the importance of political action
Shortly after settling in, she was awakened in the middle of the night by the phone …Herb Caen
The honourable gentleman made a speech which drew tears from the eyes of the ladies, and awakened the liveliest emotions in every individual present.Charles Dickens
That new, different noise we hear is from a giant constituency awakening in our field, and it will get louder.Library Journal
awakener
ə-ˈwāk-nər How to pronounce awaken (audio)
ə-ˈwā-kə-
noun
plural awakeners
Coffee's greatest effects are exerted upon the brain and mind, since coffee is a bracing awakener. Chris Kilham
Order this spicy soup only if you like a real palate awakener. Karola Saekel

Did you know?

The Past Tense Forms of Awake and Awaken

Awake and awaken are two distinct verbs that mean the same thing. In other words, they're synonyms, and in the present tense they each behave the way English verbs typically behave:

The cat awakes at dawn.

The cat awakens at dawn.

Things get trickier in the past tense.

Our modern verb awake is the result of the long-ago melding of two older verbs. These verbs were very similar, but one had regular past tense forms (like play: played, has played) and the other had irregular past tense forms (like take: took, has taken).

When the two verbs melded into the modern awake (which was a process over many years), things got complicated, resulting ultimately in the following grammatically permissible sentences:

The cat awaked at dawn.

The cat awoke at dawn.

The cat was awaked by the mouse at dawn.

The cat was awoken by the mouse at dawn.

Note, though, that at this point, these are the most common:

The cat awoke at dawn.

The cat was awoken by the mouse at dawn.

That's the story of awake. Fortunately awaken (which was originally one of the past tense forms of awake) is simpler. It's a regular verb, which means it has the usual past tense forms:

The cat awakened at dawn.

The cat was awakened at dawn by a mouse.

As if all this weren't complicated enough, awake is also an adjective:

Because of the cat, I too am now awake.

For a detailed discussion of the history of these words, please see the The Grammatical History of 'Awaken' / 'Awoken' / 'Awakened'.

Examples of awaken in a Sentence

She usually awakens several times during the night. A loud noise awakened her.
Recent Examples on the Web The determination and moral force of their advocacy awakened society first, and then came the laws. Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 My closest friend has lost 14 family members on her mother’s side and awakens each morning in terror, imagining hearing bombs and seeing her dead relatives beside her in rubble. Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2024 Since a snowy week in mid-January, winter has lost its bite and spring is rapidly awakening in the Washington region. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Leverage The ‘5 Whys’ Technique— Originally developed by Toyota as a problem-solving tool, the ‘5 Whys’ technique can also be a powerful method for awakening curiosity. Curt Steinhorst, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Until now, Samet has shown negligible romantic interest in this young woman, but his competitive instincts are awakened by her unexpected chemistry with Kenan. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 That shortage cost the U.S. economy $240 billion, according to experts, awakening lawmakers and industries to the country's almost total dependence on foreign manufacturers for such a crucial component. CBS News, 19 Feb. 2024 Monahan told jurors that he and his wife were awakened by three vehicles in his driveway: two SUVs and a motorcycle revving its engine, the station reported. Ray Sanchez, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 They were awakened when a Jeep plummeted off a 40-foot cliff and landed on its roof in the ocean’s rocky shallows. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'awaken.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English awæcnian, from a- + wæcnian to waken

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of awaken was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near awaken

Cite this Entry

“Awaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awaken. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

awaken

verb
awak·​en ə-ˈwā-kən How to pronounce awaken (audio)
awakened; awakening -ˈwāk-(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce awaken (audio)
awakener noun

More from Merriam-Webster on awaken

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!