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
-
And that was supposed to be one of the Game 2 warnings.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Reports of a crash on southbound US-169 South A traffic warning has been issued after a crash on US-169 South between US-69 South and US-69 North.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning Monday for Central Florida as crews battled a 120-acre wildfire in northern Lake County that has been worsened by wind conditions.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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Much of the state is under a red flag warning, and the metro and southeastern Minnesota will see elevated fire weather conditions as well.—
Joseph Dames,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Counsell thought Suzuki’s at-bats looked good from the onset of Tuesday’s game and felt the swings in his first at-bat were a great sign.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
As the Moon meets Jupiter in your sign, your presence carries weight and people respond to your tone.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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