wake-up

1 of 2

adjective

ˈwāk-ˌəp 

: serving to wake up

a wake-up alarm

wake up

2 of 2

verb

woke up also waked up; woken up also waked up; waking up; wakes up

transitive + intransitive

: 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

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 to

a 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

d

: to make (something) active : arouse, stir

"And what joy and cheerfulness it wakes up within us, to see all nature beaming in brightness and sunshine …" added Alice …

—Charles Dickens

Examples of wake-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Commanders making the NFC Championship Game and the Eagles dominating in the Super Bowl should be the loudest wake-up calls to the Cowboys that their ways need to change. —Jon MacHota, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025

That early career disappointment was a wake-up call. —Dria James, refinery29.com, 12 Feb. 2025

Verb

Viewing Nolte’s photos is like waking up in an alternate reality: a sea turned to desert. —Alex Cuadros, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025

Troopers were able to wake up the driver and identify him as 66-year-old Michael Tobin of Vernon. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1946, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1767, in the meaning defined above