Definition of wake-up
(Entry 1 of 2)
: serving to wake up
a wake-up alarm
wake up
verb
woke up also waked up; woken up also waked up; waking up; wakes up
Definition of wake up (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
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 to a study that woke people up to the importance of regular exerciseIn 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
Buying Guide
Our Reviews team has selected the best alarm clocks.
Test Your Vocabulary
The Great British Vocabulary Quiz
-
- Named after Sir Robert Peel, what are British police called?

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share wake-up
Time Traveler for wake-up
The first known use of wake-up was in 1767
See more words from the same year