awaken

verb

ə-ˈwā-kən How to pronounce awaken (audio)
Definition of awakennext
1
as in to wake
to cause to stop sleeping be quiet or you'll awaken the kids

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to awake
to cease to be asleep guests at the B and B usually awaken to the smell of fresh pancakes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of awaken She was awakened in the middle of the night by her barking dog and the sound of a woman screaming in the street. — City News Service, Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026 Residents in DuPage County were awakened by tornado sirens early Tuesday morning that were activated accidentally, officials said. — Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 Unlike most of their heroic peers, they are born with an X-gene that awakens around puberty and grants extraordinary abilities. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Aug. 2026 While many teenagers awakening to mortality might turn to poetry or self-destructive behavior, Cao turned to science. — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for awaken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awaken
  1. wake
  2. awake
  3. rouse
Verb
  • Join the dearly beloved under the stars for a reception worthy of the afterlife, with spirited DJ sets, drinks to wake the dead, and a free photobooth for your drop-dead gorgeous wedding portrait.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Ensemble sitcoms live and die by their chemistry, so the cast — encouraged by Kronengold and Shaw — spend almost every waking moment together while filming.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of wake
Verb
  • The boy awoke at a family cottage in northern Ontario in 2024 with a bat resting across his nose and mouth.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Newcastle yearned to win, to fulfil the dream awoken by Keegan — who died of cancer last month — and Isak was part of the team that finally did it, a languid forward with a kiss for a touch who scored at Wembley when Liverpool were beaten.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of awake
Verb
  • Every third morning Soumia Bensalah was roused before the break of dawn.
    — Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • These two exceedingly nimble keyboardists teamed for a rousing take on Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski’s intensely spirited Variations on a Theme of Paganini.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of rouse

Browse Nearby Words

awake
awaken
awakened
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Cite this Entry

“Awaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awaken. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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