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
Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
But the painful loss in a Cup elimination game was evidence Denver still has a long way to go at its weaker end of the floor — a harsh wake-up call near the quarter-point of the season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 29 Nov. 2025
PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Reaches peak levels later than other forms; may reduce waking up during sleep.
—Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wake-up
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Adjective
The time to shop the best Cyber Monday home deals is quickly dwindling, so consider this your procrastination wake-up call.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
But the painful loss in a Cup elimination game was evidence Denver still has a long way to go at its weaker end of the floor — a harsh wake-up call near the quarter-point of the season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 29 Nov. 2025
Verb
Cyber Monday really woke up and chose generosity this year.
—PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Reaches peak levels later than other forms; may reduce waking up during sleep.
—Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 1 Dec. 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 7 Dec. 2025.
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