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 WebHoward Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
The scene wasn’t anyone’s idea of a soothing wake-up ritual.
—Peter C. Baker, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Union sends wake-up call to woke Dems thinking of attending cop's funeral …Read more
COP KILLING: Suspect in NYPD murder came close to gunning down his partner: docs …Read more
Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.
—Fox News Staff, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
Related article ‘Absolutely a wake-up call’: Key Bridge tragedy has markings of 1980 Baltimore crash, but worse
The dramatic difference in outcomes between the two accidents is an example of the dangers caused by the massive increase in shipping vessel size in the intervening decades.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Aladdin suite also includes Genie-Tini cocktails and Magic Mocktails, a Genie wake-up call, complimentary breakfast and Aladdin coloring activities.
—Lois Alter Mark, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Sydney Sweeney Dishes on Her Favorite Comfort Meal, Calls the Classic Combo a ‘Childhood Staple’ (Exclusive)
Sweeney also mentioned that her dog Tank is her wake-up call every morning.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
However, last year’s sluggish hiring pace should be a wake-up call to state leaders — political, business and labor — that California cannot take its long-running job-creation success for granted.
—Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Their wake-up call will be at 7 (a.m.) or whatever time.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024
Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
But Herro woke up feeling no worrisome discomfort after scoring 33 points in 48 minutes of Tuesday’s double overtime win in Atlanta.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Long before the city woke up on a fall morning in 2017, Simpson walked out of Lovelock Correctional Center a free man for the first time in nine years.
—Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Bamboo is more breathable and cooling than cotton, making this a great choice if your child often wakes up sweaty or has a tough time staying cool at night.
—Kelsey Kunik, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
So, wake up and smell the coffee, and clean that coffee maker today!
—USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
He’s shown waking up nearly naked and bloody on a park bench, having clearly been on one hell of a bender the night before.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
When the immune system is weakened — by certain medications or other illnesses like diabetes and HIV — the TB wakes up, so to speak.
—Mike Stobbe, The Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Executives Haney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers Association YES: Maybe our policymakers should wake up and realize the smorgasbord of policies put in place over the last generation have led to this.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
Adjective
For some Israelis, largely among the Israeli Arab minority, Oct. 7 was a wake-up call that peace and regional progress won’t come without the Palestinians.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
The scene wasn’t anyone’s idea of a soothing wake-up ritual.
—Peter C. Baker, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Union sends wake-up call to woke Dems thinking of attending cop's funeral …Read more
COP KILLING: Suspect in NYPD murder came close to gunning down his partner: docs …Read more
Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.
—Fox News Staff, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
Related article ‘Absolutely a wake-up call’: Key Bridge tragedy has markings of 1980 Baltimore crash, but worse
The dramatic difference in outcomes between the two accidents is an example of the dangers caused by the massive increase in shipping vessel size in the intervening decades.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Aladdin suite also includes Genie-Tini cocktails and Magic Mocktails, a Genie wake-up call, complimentary breakfast and Aladdin coloring activities.
—Lois Alter Mark, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Sydney Sweeney Dishes on Her Favorite Comfort Meal, Calls the Classic Combo a ‘Childhood Staple’ (Exclusive)
Sweeney also mentioned that her dog Tank is her wake-up call every morning.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
However, last year’s sluggish hiring pace should be a wake-up call to state leaders — political, business and labor — that California cannot take its long-running job-creation success for granted.
—Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Their wake-up call will be at 7 (a.m.) or whatever time.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024
Verb
As companies and their HR leaders wake up to the mental health crisis simmering among their workforce, many have opted to amp up their benefit offerings to address worker well-being.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
But Herro woke up feeling no worrisome discomfort after scoring 33 points in 48 minutes of Tuesday’s double overtime win in Atlanta.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Long before the city woke up on a fall morning in 2017, Simpson walked out of Lovelock Correctional Center a free man for the first time in nine years.
—Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Bamboo is more breathable and cooling than cotton, making this a great choice if your child often wakes up sweaty or has a tough time staying cool at night.
—Kelsey Kunik, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
So, wake up and smell the coffee, and clean that coffee maker today!
—USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
He’s shown waking up nearly naked and bloody on a park bench, having clearly been on one hell of a bender the night before.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
When the immune system is weakened — by certain medications or other illnesses like diabetes and HIV — the TB wakes up, so to speak.
—Mike Stobbe, The Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Executives Haney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers Association YES: Maybe our policymakers should wake up and realize the smorgasbord of policies put in place over the last generation have led to this.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wake-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wake-up
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wake-up. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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