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
Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 10 May 2025
Looking back, the whole experience was a really big wake-up call for me.
—Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, 7 May 2025
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 May 2025
Kristin Kramer woke up early on a Tuesday morning 10 years ago because one of her dogs needed to go out.
—Paula Span, New York Times, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wake-up
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Adjective
Though the growth was benign, the experience was a wake-up call that even athletes aren’t immune to health breakdowns when rest, nutrition, and balance are neglected.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 10 May 2025
Looking back, the whole experience was a really big wake-up call for me.
—Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, 7 May 2025
Verb
Then, the boy in the coffin wakes up — and so does Zsa-Zsa.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 May 2025
Kristin Kramer woke up early on a Tuesday morning 10 years ago because one of her dogs needed to go out.
—Paula Span, New York Times, 17 May 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 21 May. 2025.
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