wake-up calls

noun

plural of wake-up call
as in warnings
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake-up calls
  1. warnings
  2. red flags
  3. red lights
  4. signs
Noun
  • But Kelce, unaware of Gracie’s warnings, cheerfully makes a peace sign in response.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The Brazil advisory comes amid other recent State Department warnings for Americans traveling abroad.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of warnings
Noun
  • While Vasilevskiy’s postseason numbers are starting to raise red flags, his regular-season play shouldn’t.
    — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • With horror stories and red flags amplified on social media, Chan says trust levels are also lower than ever.
    — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of red flags
Noun
  • Another is investigating dozens of incidents in which Teslas using partial self-driving software ran red lights or drove on the wrong side of the road, sometimes crashing into other vehicles and causing injuries.
    — Bernard Condon, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For much of the nearly 40-minute journey, the driver appeared to stop at red lights and obey traffic laws, Sgt.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of red lights
Noun
  • Tentative signs of improvement emerged in May, June and July, when border crossings picked up slightly, the agency reported.
    — Rio Yamat, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Next, another set of no-parking signs went up and came down (except for several that were mistakenly left up), with no work having been done.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of signs
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

wake-up call
wake-up calls
waking
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Cite this Entry

“Wake-up calls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20calls. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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