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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
Some attendees at the Americana Music Honors & Awards might have assumed that the lifetime achievement award for Dolly Parton was something that the Americana Music Association had come up with to honor her in the immediate wake of her death. — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026 This photo shows some of the damage caused by the great hurricane that swept through the lower portion of Florida, leaving a wake of ruins and causing great loss of life. — Hank Tester, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
Stepping outside soon after waking is one of the simplest morning rituals experts recommend. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026 The family lived in a company house beside a petroleum plant; Metze recalled waking as a child to the stench of kerosene. — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 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
  • In the first season’s finale, the MDR team successfully orchestrates a plan to activate their work consciousness in the outside world, hoping to communicate to others the conditions of their confinement.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Soon, the pincher floats free of her consciousness, briefly inhabiting the mind of Pola or Ines before flickering back into herself.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of consciousness
Verb
  • When to seek medical attention People who use kratom and begin breathing slowly or shallowly, or who become excessively drowsy or difficult to awaken, may be experiencing serious sedation that can interfere with breathing, Steinman said.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • During these experiences on mushrooms, Hodges came to believe that psilocybin was brought to Earth to awaken and change reality.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of awaken
Verb
  • Back in 2018, Tarantino reportedly awoke in the middle of the night to find two burglars inside his home.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Alice gets to keep her leg, albeit with extensive scarring, and Anna does her best to forget about the sacrificial part of the pact until she is awoken one night by a noise downstairs.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of awake
Verb
  • Mexico's navy shut down ports in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán as a precaution and warned civilians and fishermen to take care.
    — DESIREE BROOKS, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The Muskego Police Department is warning Muskego High School students about consequences of pranks causing damage after the department received over 20 complaints in less than two weeks.
    — Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of warn
Noun
  • Porodina is fascinated with hypnagogia, the threshold state between sleep and wakefulness.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Ninety-five out of 111 imaged cells lit up during slow-wave sleep and quiet, motionless wakefulness, and fell silent during running and REM sleep.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of wakefulness
Verb
  • Bremen has received more acclaim than Model for its 4-0 start, partly because of a rousing 38-19 victory in its opener against four-time reigning Class A champion Bowdon.
    — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The founder of the nation’s largest United Methodist church, Hamilton received a rousing welcome from scores of people who crammed into a Topeka coffee shop to see him Tuesday.
    — Jill Colvin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rouse
Verb
  • As complaints were rolling in about Jardon, a senior accountant at Citrus was alerted to a $30,000 purchase of Apple products through the nonprofit’s Amazon account, the warrant said.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
  • After this, the off-duty officer alerted his colleagues to the shooting, allowing Austin police to quickly respond to the scene.
    — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 22 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wake

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wake

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