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
-
Sixteen members of the media account for 80 percent of the MVP vote and submit their ballots near the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.—
Alex Valdes,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Two inmates facing serious violent crime charges escaped from the Sumter County Jail late Sunday, prompting an urgent manhunt and warnings from law enforcement across southwest Georgia.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Unexpected logouts or security alerts are also red flags.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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But last year, the agency stopped accepting such applications, determining merchant cash advances to be a red flag on a business record.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The witnesses said both vehicles stopped at a red light when Nixon pulled up alongside them and began yelling.—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
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Travon Troupe, 39, of Hayward, allegedly drove drunk through a red light at Foothill Boulevard and 68th Avenue in Oakland, smashing into a big rig that had the right of way.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The fasten-seatbelt sign was on and the flight attendants were performing final cabin checks when the plane suddenly dropped, then violently pitched back up.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Tom pulled up a Wikipedia page on his laptop called WikiProject AI Cleanup, and another on how to spot signs of AI writing.—
Imogen West-Knights,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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