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
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
The New Leadership Imperative The semiconductor story should serve as a wake-up call for business leaders across every industry.
—
Jim Bureau,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Alison Fox,
Travel + Leisure,
3 July 2026
Anne Tejada was blindsided by a hail of gunfire outside a home in Miami Gardens, waking up hours later in a hospital bed, police say.
—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for wake-up
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Adjective
His wake-up alarm plays the theme song for the Champions League.
—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
The New Leadership Imperative The semiconductor story should serve as a wake-up call for business leaders across every industry.
—
Jim Bureau,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Verb
There’s nothing quite like waking up in a dreamy hotel bed complete with luxurious linens spritzed with a scent that reminds you of your favorite getaway.
—
Alison Fox,
Travel + Leisure,
3 July 2026
Anne Tejada was blindsided by a hail of gunfire outside a home in Miami Gardens, waking up hours later in a hospital bed, police say.
—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for wake-up
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wake-up. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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