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 Web
Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 19 July 2025
Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for the state watchdog, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, told the Herald that the $1 million price tag for a median single-family home across the region should serve as a wake-up call for Healey and state lawmakers.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 17 July 2025
CBS News, 15 July 2025
Criss then woke up and resisted police before allegedly putting the vehicle in reverse and ramming a police cruiser, Gallupe said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wake-up
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.
Adjective
The eggs and mozzarella cheese provide protein, and the salsa gives the burrito a wake-up zing.
—Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 19 July 2025
Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for the state watchdog, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, told the Herald that the $1 million price tag for a median single-family home across the region should serve as a wake-up call for Healey and state lawmakers.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 17 July 2025
Verb
Prison officials said Bell woke up at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and ate his last meal, which was an omelet, bacon, home fries and orange juice.
—CBS News, 15 July 2025
Criss then woke up and resisted police before allegedly putting the vehicle in reverse and ramming a police cruiser, Gallupe said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wake-up
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wake-up. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share