wake

1 of 3

verb

ˈwāk 

woke ˈwōk  also waked wākt  ; woken ˈwō-kən  or waked also woke; waking

intransitive verb

1

a

: to be or remain awake

b

archaic : to remain awake on watch especially over a corpse

c

obsolete : to stay up late in revelry

2

: awake, wake up

They woke early.

transitive verb

1

: to stand watch over (someone or something)

especially : to hold a wake over

2

a

: to rouse from or as if from sleep : awake, wake up

Something woke her in the middle of the night.

b

: stir, excite

an experience that woke old feelings

c

: to arouse conscious interest in : alert

—usually used with to

woke the public to the risks

waker noun

wake

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: the state of being awake

2

a(1)

: an annual English parish festival formerly held in commemoration of the church's patron saint

(2)

: vigil sense 3a

b

: the festivities originally connected with the wake of an English parish church

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

c

British : an annual holiday or vacation

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

3

: a watch held over the body of a dead person prior to burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity

wake

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: the track left by a moving body (such as a ship) in a fluid (such as water)

broadly : a track or path left

2

: aftermath sense 3

Phrases

in the wake of

1

: close behind and in the same path of travel

missionaries arrived in the wake of conquistadors and soldiers

—Sabine MacCormack

2

: as a result of : as a consequence of

power vacuums left in the wake of the second world war

—A. M. Schlesinger born 1917

Synonyms

Verb

• awaken
• awake
• rouse

Examples of wake in a Sentence

Verb

She can never remember her dreams upon waking.

my banging around in the kitchen woke my wife

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Likewise, earlier morning light should help wake the body up, but only if teens are exposed to it. —Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 22 Oct. 2025

This notion supports the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, which proposes that dream content often reflects aspects of a person’s waking life. —Stacey Colino, Time, 21 Oct. 2025

Noun

In the wake of the gambling scandal sweeping the NBA this week, the NFL sent out two memos — the subject of one was league and club staff, and the other was players — both obtained by The Athletic, to remind players, coaches and league personnel of the importance of adhering to its gambling policy. —Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

Opinions flew among broadcast and digital execs, a union chief and seasoned journalists, and top station execs weighed First Amendment concerns in the wake of ABC’s suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

partly from Middle English waken (past wook, past participle waken), from Old English wacan to awake (past wōc, past participle wacen); partly from Middle English wakien, waken (past & past participle waked), from Old English wacian to be awake (past wacode, past participle wacod); akin to Old English wæccan to watch, Latin vegēre to enliven

Noun (2)

akin to Middle Low German wake wake, Norwegian dialect vok, Old Norse vǫk hole in ice

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wake

• in someone's or something's wake
• in the wake of
• wake and bake
• wake-robin
• wake up
• wake up and smell the coffee/roses
• wake-up call

Rhymes for wake

• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake

Kids Definition

wake

1 of 3 verb

ˈwāk 

woke ˈwōk  also waked ˈwākt  ; woken ˈwō-kən  or waked also woke; waking

1

: to be or remain awake

2

: to stand watch over (as a dead body)

especially : to hold a wake over

3

: to arouse from or as if from sleep : awake

—often used with up

waker noun

wake

2 of 3 noun

: a time before a dead person is buried when people gather to remember him or her and often to view the body

wake

3 of 3 noun

1

: a track or path left by a moving body (as a ship) in the water

2

: aftermath sense 2

Etymology

Verb

from Old English wacan "to awake" and Old English wacian "to be awake"

Noun

of Germanic origin