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
-
Vehicles included in this recall may have an error in the instrument panel software at startup, failing to show speed, brake system information, and tire pressure warning lights.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect due to Tropical Storm Octave, according to the NHC.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
What are the red flags or warning signs of a bad financial advisor?—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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The biggest red flag with this roster is that Adams was the only one on a successful team last year and CSUN finished third in the Big West.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This is what the round red pinhole is for—simply hold it up to one of your eyes and look through it, scanning the room for a glowing red light.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
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Oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light (the most familiar color of the aurora) or a red light; nitrogen generally gives off a blue light.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The kids associate helicopters with life flights to the local hospital, a sign that someone has been seriously injured, Cornelison said.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Eddie Howe will hope Newcastle’s 4-0 thumping of USG is the first sign of their new-look front line gelling, with Nick Woltemade, Anthony Gordon (two penalties) and Harvey Barnes all on target.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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