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
Jamie Davis Smith, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
Read More: What Leaving the WHO Means for the U.S. and the World
The federal abdication of health should be a wake-up call for state and local governments to redouble and reimagine their commitments.
—Dr. Ashwin Vasan, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2025
Before the first red tones Begin to warm the sky
The earth wakes up, and moans
At the small sad cry
Of cups and saucers cracking,
The masters’ precious dream
Of roses, of mowers raking
And shepherds on the lawn.
—Robert Pinsky, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wake-up 
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Adjective
With a wake-up call Some hotels offer aurora wake-up calls.
—Jamie Davis Smith, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
Read More: What Leaving the WHO Means for the U.S. and the World
The federal abdication of health should be a wake-up call for state and local governments to redouble and reimagine their commitments.
—Dr. Ashwin Vasan, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
But the James Beard Awards have woken up to the immense talent that our chefs and beverage professionals have to offer.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2025
Before the first red tones Begin to warm the sky
The earth wakes up, and moans
At the small sad cry
Of cups and saucers cracking,
The masters’ precious dream
Of roses, of mowers raking
And shepherds on the lawn.
—Robert Pinsky, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
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 8 Feb. 2025.
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