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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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
-
Parts of Northern Kentucky are under a severe thunderstorm warning until 8:30 p.m. as well.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
21 July 2025
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But debate rages over the ideal, and safe, extent of integrating AI into other nuclear functions such as early warning, targeting, and communications.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Skeptics raise red flags Bitcoin's sharp rally has drawn caution from some corners of the market.—
Niket Nishant,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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If a company demands a large payment upfront, that’s a red flag.—
Angie Hicks,
Boston Herald,
12 July 2025
Noun
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Studies of bike riders six years ago — before the popularity of e-bikes soared — found that between 25% and 79% of bicyclists in the city do not stop for red lights.—
Steve Cohen,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
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Acknowledging that the previous iteration of the red-light cameras was a controversial issue, most city leaders felt that fatalities and injuries from recent traffic collisions could’ve been avoided had drivers slowed down or not run red lights.—
Shawn Raymundo,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
Noun
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That the account belonging to the president of the United States is now posting to the entire world like a Facebook Uncle, though, is a troubling sign.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
22 July 2025
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This could be a sign of a wider acceptance of cryptcurrency in the mainstream, some experts said.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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