as in warning
something that tells of approaching danger or risk
his high blood pressure was a wake-up call that he needed to do something about his health
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Recent Examples of wake-up call
The persistence of that finding should be a wake-up call for employers already battling high turnover and labor shortages.
—
Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023
Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023
Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023
Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wake-up call
Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023
Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023
Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023
Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wake-up call
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake-up call
Noun
-
Authorities previously issued warnings after multiple people reported animal sightings near the hotel the day before, according to Jam Press.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Rather than simply issuing audible or visual warnings, the car may adjust cabin lighting, seat position, climate control, or gradually come to a complete stop automatically.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And when red flags are ignored, fraud thrives.—
Jennifer Nassour,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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That audit raised red flags about Prince's work schedule, according to Flynn.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Yes, drivers are required to stop at red lights at onramp traffic meters.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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As for non-surgical treatments, red light therapy, lasers and platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) can be carried out in-office to help support hair regrowth for people with androgenetic hair loss, says Kash.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There were no clear signs of things getting better, either, and with all the teams beneath and around them in the table improving, there was little choice but to make a change in the dugout.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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In a sign of confidence that an attack may be off the cards for now, oil prices fell and Gulf stock prices rose.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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