woke up also waked up; woken up also waked up; waking up; wakes up
: awake entry 1, wake entry 1: such as
a
: to cease sleeping : to become awake
I woke up late this morning.
When I woke up on Monday the sky was the color of mercury, and the air was heavy with moisture.—
Ann M. Martin
Ann M. Martin
b
: to rouse (a person or animal) from or as if from sleep
The sound of a door slamming woke him up.
c
: to become aware or to make (someone) aware of something (such as an existing problem or danger)
They finally woke up and realized what was happening.
—usually used with toa study that woke people up to the importance of regular exercise
In 1997, … Jacob Nielsen predicted that if newspapers didn't wake up to the threat of online classified advertising and dominate the field by 1998, many of them would die within a decade.—Emily Benedek
Emily BenedekExamples of wake-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Geary, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
If 2024 is a wake-up call, 2025 can be a year of Democratic renewal.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 7 Dec. 2024
Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024
At this casual eatery on the beach, the pepperpot soup wakes up your mouth with the bright, spicy notes of Scotch bonnet chiles—the island’s premiere heat source, after the sun.
—Sofia Perez, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wake-up 
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.
Adjective
State Of The Supply Chain The disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic served as a wake-up call for many organizations, highlighting the vulnerabilities inherent in complex, global supply chains.
—Bill Geary, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
If 2024 is a wake-up call, 2025 can be a year of Democratic renewal.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
When Swift started her U.S. leg, Lopez had no trouble waking up a little earlier to fulfill his duties to the fandom.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024
At this casual eatery on the beach, the pepperpot soup wakes up your mouth with the bright, spicy notes of Scotch bonnet chiles—the island’s premiere heat source, after the sun.
—Sofia Perez, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wake-up
Dictionary Entries Near wake-up
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wake-up. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share