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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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
In the immediate wake of the merger, the company said the union of Banijay and All3 will yield €50M ($57M) in cost savings. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026 And they custom-fit Shawkat’s mellower Molly, who trots behind in Frankie’s wake of destruction. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
Troopers woke the man and found open intoxicants on the passenger seat, MSP said. — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Each day, the women were woken at six, with the sounds of stomping boots and barking dogs. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 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 comics, a Lantern’s ring has several powers in the ballpark of creating physical objects out of light and pure will, but none of them to date — save for John, in one specific story — have been able to store someone’s consciousness.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The cataclysm is indelibly seared into La Guaira’s collective consciousness.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of consciousness
Verb
  • While many teenagers awakening to mortality might turn to poetry or self-destructive behavior, Cao turned to science.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The series follows Ray Azumi (voiced by Takeo Otsuka), a war orphan who awakens on the lunar surface as the pilot of the experimental mobile suit Gundam ZERO.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of awaken
Verb
  • Some of the incidents have turned violent The latest bear attack in Colorado occurred early Wednesday when a homeless man sleeping in Aspen's Rio Grande Park awoke to find a bear biting his head, according to CPW officials.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • According to the department, sisters Ava, 5, and Mia, 9, awoke and saw the fire coming from their neighbors’ home.
    — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of awake
Verb
  • Although Ukraine first warned that North Korean troops were using attack drones on their territory last October, this is the first indication the new wave of troops will have this capability.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the GOP’s Senate campaign arm, warned in a memo this week that backlash to the centers has left Husted vulnerable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Aug. 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
  • Four members of the group, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeung, Lara Raj, and Megan Skiendiel, joined forces for a rousing performance of the pop number.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Abdul El-Sayed, a rabble-rousing populist and former public health official, just barely eked out a primary victory Tuesday in Michigan over a centrist rival who was the pick of Washington Democrats to keep a must-hold Senate seat.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of rouse
Verb
  • During the investigation, police were alerted to two shooting victims who had walked into area hospitals, including Chance.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors also accused Robinson's attorneys of relying on case law that was later rejected by the Utah Supreme Court while failing to alert the judge to those later decisions.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 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 21 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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