wake 1 of 2

noun

Definition of wakenext
as in consciousness

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wake

2 of 2

verb

ˈwāk How to pronounce wake (audio)
1
as in to awaken
to cause to stop sleeping my banging around in the kitchen woke my wife

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to awake
to cease to be asleep I woke with a start when the door slammed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to warn
to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or risk a public service announcement designed to wake people to the dangers of aggressive driving

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wake
Noun
Everything in the body runs in vibratory cycles from heartbeats to brainwaves to sleep-wake cycles. — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 In a matter of hours, more than a foot of rain fell over the area, causing a wall of water to push down the canyon, destroying everything in its wake. — Dave Aguilera, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Verb
Homeowner Muwafeg Abuhamra said his wife woke him after hearing his mother screaming. — Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 29 July 2026 Tyler Childers is that rare artist that doesn’t share every waking moment of his life in the press or on social media. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for wake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake
  1. consciousness
  2. awaken
  3. awake
  4. warn
  5. wakefulness
  6. rouse
  7. alert
Noun
  • Like a lot of us who tottered into consciousness in the second half of the 20th century, Les Claypool grew up with cartoons from the family television beaming into his retinas.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
  • And where does our personal ego, our consciousness, our soul, reside?
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of consciousness
Verb
  • Loud thunderclaps awakened residents, lightning sparked small fires and power outages and rainfall slowed the morning commute.
    — Tevian Whitehurst, AZCentral.com, 28 July 2026
  • Other bright-light studies show roughly 20% to 40% higher peak cortisol in the first hour after awakening when subjects are exposed to bright morning light compared with dim light, though exact figures differ by study.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of awaken
Verb
  • Many awoke to the thunder, lots saw the lightning, a few got rain up to a quarter inch.
    — Tevian Whitehurst, AZCentral.com, 28 July 2026
  • Determined to make the most of our last day, Karissa and I awoke early and split from our friends to take a 30-minute train ride to North Berwick.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
Definition of awake
Verb
  • Authorities say individuals have been detained as part of the investigation and warn that more of the tainted cocaine may have been sold in the area.
    — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Only five vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to marine traffic data, after the Iranian military warned the channel would be closed so long as US strikes persist.
    — Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
Definition of warn
Noun
  • But in people with narcolepsy, such boundaries become blurred, allowing elements of sleep to intrude into wakefulness in varying ways.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • The clinical data demonstrated significant improvements in wakefulness and reductions in excessive daytime sleepiness at week eight, outperforming the placebo with a generally favorable safety profile.
    — Sasirekha Subramanian, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of wakefulness
Verb
  • One by one, as if roused from a trance, my fellow staffers rose from their workstations and filed to the exit.
    — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
  • This one laid the groundwork for an entire genre with its gross-out gags, copious substance abuse, and rousing victory at the end.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026
Definition of rouse
Verb
  • The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department was not alerted to the action.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
  • See tips for hiking in bear country When in bear country, Fish and Wildlife recommends hiking in small groups and making noise to alert bears to your presence.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 29 July 2026
Definition of alert

Browse Nearby Words

waiving
wake
wakeful
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Cite this Entry

“Wake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wake

Nglish: Translation of wake for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wake

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