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
-
The hearing committee suggested to the guild executives that this should only be a warning.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Jamaica’s airports remain open for now, but will likely close within 24 hours of a hurricane warning being issued for the country, according to Daryl Vaz, Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The absence of either can and should feel like a big red flag to drinkers.—
Oset Babür-Winter,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
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Airbnb’s cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky is one the most outspoken leaders in the business world waving the red flag on loneliness.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For example, orange lights mark the warm-up segment to activate body’s core, red lights are used for the toning and strength sections, while blue ones define the more relaxing cool-down and stretching bits.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The vehicle headed toward 291 Highway, running through a red light.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Stephens said there were signs of a struggle, and Thomas' body had been dragged about 180 feet into the woods.—
Bill Bowden,
Arkansas Online,
24 Oct. 2025
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Perri told him that was a sign of his brain rewiring.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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