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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Example Sentences
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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
-
The warning signaled the potential for extreme fire behavior driven by strong winds and low humidity and comes in the middle of the Pacific hurricane season, which has already seen an active start.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
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As a result, trade data may serve as a lagging indicator of financial distress rather than providing early warning signals valuable for risk assessment.—
Charlie Minutella,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This warning is in effect until Friday at 11 p.m. What is the significance of a red flag warning?—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 July 2025
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So far, there has been one example of an AI model displaying a right-wing bias earning a government contract with no red flags raised about its outputs.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Derrick John Thompson was given consecutive sentences totaling nearly 59 years in prison Thursday for running a red light at more than 100 mph in south Minneapolis and crashing into a sedan, killing five young women.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
25 July 2025
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Then came the white Cadillac, creeping up beside them at a red light just off the Strip.—
Danielle Bacher,
People.com,
4 July 2025
Noun
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Yellow leaves are a sign of several issues that can occur when growing cucumbers, from watering issues to too much sun.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 July 2025
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If the description feels vague, overly broad, or reads like a copy-paste from a generic template, that could be a sign the posting isn’t tied to a real opening.—
Kara Dennison,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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