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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
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
Or later consciousness resurfaces in the morning on my return to the wakening world.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2017
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
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
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
Or later consciousness resurfaces in the morning on my return to the wakening world.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2017
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waken
Verb
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Smoothing round poppy seeds and sea salt—which do the gentle buffing—come suspended in a hunk of detoxifying French blue clay, nourishing olive fruit oil, and zingy peppermint essential oil, the latter of which wakes you up better than any iPhone alarm.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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If anything, conflict is to be expected; seeing eye-to-eye every waking moment of every day would be far more concerning.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Billy awoke to the sound of another alarm going off in the plant.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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Earlier that week, the men awoke in their cells at four in the morning, the usual time.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The box office success of King Kong’s 1952 rerelease, followed by Eugene Lourie’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), where a dinosaur was awakened by an atomic blast, both served as inspiration.—
Michael Taube,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Gentle pressure with fingers or toys designed for curved reach can help awaken this zone.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But not all Chinese companies gave them a rousing reception at a time of intense nationalism and national security suspicions under Xi.—
Joyce Jiang,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Michael Caton-Jones’ rousing historical epic is the sort of movie that hardly gets made anymore.—
Declan Gallagher,
EW.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waken. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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