as in warning
something that tells of approaching danger or risk
his high blood pressure was a wake-up call that he needed to do something about his health
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wake-up call
The persistence of that finding should be a wake-up call for employers already battling high turnover and labor shortages.
—
Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023
Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023
Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023
Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wake-up call
Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023
Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023
Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023
Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wake-up call
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake-up call
Noun
-
While major plot developments have been withheld to preserve the viewing experience, the network has requested spoiler warnings on all reviews.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 June 2025
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Many of the latest driver-assist safety systems like forward automatic emergency braking and blind spot warning abound in this segment to protect one’s most-precious cargo.—
Jim Gorzelany,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
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However, his last-minute cancellation is the latest in a series of red flags that have popped up with him in recent months.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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The weather service office in Reno issued a red flag fire weather warning for Thursday afternoon through Friday night for Alpine and Mono counties (including Mammoth Lakes and Bridgeport) and eastern Lassen County.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Noun
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There's two options with the switch: the first will turn on a red light, to tell you the thermal brush is heating up.—
Nena Farrell,
Wired News,
20 June 2025
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Lamping allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of the two roads, and the Chevrolet pickup struck the driver’s side of the Toyota at highway speed, the highway patrol said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2025
Noun
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District administrators said the signs — including one displaying open hands of different skin tones — violated West Ada’s district policy.—
Emma Epperly,
Idaho Statesman,
28 June 2025
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Moon sign planting dates Above-ground crops: 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 27, 28, 31 Below-ground crops: 14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23 Control weeds: 11, 12, 13, 20, 21 Prune trees and shrubs: 7, 8, 16, 17, 24, 25, 26 3.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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