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
-
The warning was for Davidson County.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
-
Iran issued several warnings about its influence over oil trade.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
The Sacramento Valley is under a red flag warning for dangerous fire weather Wednesday and Thursday, the National Weather Service announced.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
-
Findings reveal that roughly one in eight airplanes failed water safety standards, including tests for coliform bacteria, a red flag for contamination.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Jacobs continued trailing the elk—looking for signs of browse and prints and always listening for the faintest sound—for the next four days and forty miles.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Others threw glass objects at people and ripped bus signs and trees out of the ground.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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