1
as in awakens
to cause to stop sleeping
my banging around in the kitchen woke my wife
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awakes
to cease to be asleep
I woke with a start when the door slammed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in warns
to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or risk
a public service announcement designed to wake people to the dangers of aggressive driving
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of wakes
So, when Harvard-Westlake travels, one of his teammates wakes him.
—
Liana Handler
follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Tran wakes to the sounds of his mother and aunt arguing.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
At Pashupatinath, Kathmandu's largest Hindu temple, a site of cremation, prayer, and daily life all happening at once, Sunita sometimes sits in the early morning, near the entrance to the inner courtyard, in the hour before the city fully wakes.
—Vogue, 1 June 2026
The body essentially wakes itself up after fixing what needs fixing.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
When Lydia wakes from her own nightmarish sleep, Vivian’s seat is empty.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
Melmo The stiffness of my jeans wakes me—almost icy in the predawn.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Ready for a home robot that wakes you up, makes breakfast and even cleans the house afterward?
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The sci-fi pic, starring Ryan Gosling as a school teacher who wakes aboard a spacecraft with amnesia, has been a winner for Amazon MGM Studios, delivering some of the best numbers for a non-franchise movie in some time.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Liana Handler
follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Tran wakes to the sounds of his mother and aunt arguing.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
At Pashupatinath, Kathmandu's largest Hindu temple, a site of cremation, prayer, and daily life all happening at once, Sunita sometimes sits in the early morning, near the entrance to the inner courtyard, in the hour before the city fully wakes.
—Vogue, 1 June 2026
The body essentially wakes itself up after fixing what needs fixing.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
When Lydia wakes from her own nightmarish sleep, Vivian’s seat is empty.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
Melmo The stiffness of my jeans wakes me—almost icy in the predawn.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Ready for a home robot that wakes you up, makes breakfast and even cleans the house afterward?
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The sci-fi pic, starring Ryan Gosling as a school teacher who wakes aboard a spacecraft with amnesia, has been a winner for Amazon MGM Studios, delivering some of the best numbers for a non-franchise movie in some time.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wakes
Verb
-
Dawn’s main character, Lilith, awakens in the care of an alien species long after Earth has been destroyed by nuclear war.—
Alexandra Oliva,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
-
Dylan awakens from a long slumber to find that the Oldest House has been destroyed by The Hiss, the paranormal resonance from the first Control.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Just at that moment, Jamie — our dream lover in every sense — awakes with a jolt.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The next morning, Park awakes hung over before disgustingly scoffing down a handful of salmon off a caterer's serving tray.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The heat advisory in effect until late Friday warns that the high temperatures and humidity could cause heat illness.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
-
Gartner predicts 40% of new enterprise software will use vibe coding by 2028, but warns of a 2,500% defect increase without governance, emphasizing careful implementation to avoid technical debt.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The 2026 club just might be the team that rouses them.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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Thankfully, there's something to that old adage about felines having nine lives because The Jellicle Ball rouses Cats from its grave.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the same way that physical pain alerts your body to an injury, shame alerts your mind to potential social injury, such as rejection, exclusion or damage to reputation.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
The incoming call emits a blaring ringtone that alerts a three-man crew at a moment’s notice.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wakes. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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