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as in to awake
to cease to be asleep
she usually wakens when sunlight begins to stream through the windows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waken
However, my condo association includes several dozen inland three-story condominium buildings, which means that the chance that our residents will be wakened by their building collapsing around them is near zero.
—
Bruce Strom, Sun Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2025
More than that, there is obvious attraction — Mags has a bisexual side that suddenly wakens from long slumber.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
The dogs were asleep in their kennels at the time and wakened only when the would-be thief was discovered by the staff.
—Anne F. Thurston, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2016
As the world—wakened by the recent terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Beirut, Paris, and now in California and London, too—struggles to defeat the Islamic State (also called ISIS), the answer is more important than ever.
—Jacob Olidort, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2015
Or later consciousness resurfaces in the morning on my return to the wakening world.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2017
Two easy arm swing stretches to waken your shoulders after hours hunched over computers and phones.
—Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 19 May 2020
The startling display of acrobatics came, according to police, on Oct. 19, after homeowners in the 700 block of Pershing Drive in Silver Spring were wakened about 2:15 a.m. by the sound of a door.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2019
Before the Sword, by Grace Lin Mulan crept into her house, even though the Rabbit had told her the villagers would not waken even with the loudest of noises.
—David Canfield, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2019
Bruce Strom, Sun Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2025
More than that, there is obvious attraction — Mags has a bisexual side that suddenly wakens from long slumber.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
The dogs were asleep in their kennels at the time and wakened only when the would-be thief was discovered by the staff.
—Anne F. Thurston, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2016
As the world—wakened by the recent terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Beirut, Paris, and now in California and London, too—struggles to defeat the Islamic State (also called ISIS), the answer is more important than ever.
—Jacob Olidort, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2015
Or later consciousness resurfaces in the morning on my return to the wakening world.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2017
Two easy arm swing stretches to waken your shoulders after hours hunched over computers and phones.
—Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 19 May 2020
The startling display of acrobatics came, according to police, on Oct. 19, after homeowners in the 700 block of Pershing Drive in Silver Spring were wakened about 2:15 a.m. by the sound of a door.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2019
Before the Sword, by Grace Lin Mulan crept into her house, even though the Rabbit had told her the villagers would not waken even with the loudest of noises.
—David Canfield, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waken
Verb
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Subsequently, in my waking life, the sight of a dog turned me into, well, a scaredy cat.—
Thomas Cangelosi,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2025
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This could occur for players who tried to wake the game from sleep mode or who pressed a button to merely preview a purchasable item, the agency said in a complaint, which outline offenses from 2017 to 2022.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Storm moves south on approach At first light Thursday, Acapulco awoke under ominous dark clouds.—
Luis Alberto Cruz,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
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About 2,000 shelters were opened across Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca, and over 18,000 first responders were mobilized At first light Thursday, Acapulco awoke under ominous dark clouds, but without a drop of rain and small waves lapping at its central beach.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Verb
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In 2020 Hugo Lagercrantz of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden observed that consciousness can only awaken when there are connections between brain areas called the thalamus and the cerebral cortex.—
Christian Wolf,
Scientific American,
25 June 2025
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The real Cooper, freshly awakened from a coma induced by sticking a fork in an electrical socket, his long-absent memory restored, arrives shortly thereafter, thence to be transported back in time to the night of the murder of Laura Palmer, which brought him to Twin Peaks so many years ago.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
20 June 2025
Verb
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But they didn’t get cheated this spring, not with three rousing blasts from the past: Against the Pistons, against the Celtics, against the Pacers.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
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After a rousing verbal crescendo about 16 minutes into his speech, the crowd rose to its feet and delivered a standing ovation.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waken. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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