wake 1 of 2

noun

Definition of wakenext
as in consciousness

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wake

2 of 2

verb

ˈwāk How to pronounce wake (audio)
1
as in to awaken
to cause to stop sleeping my banging around in the kitchen woke my wife

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to awake
to cease to be asleep I woke with a start when the door slammed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to warn
to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or risk a public service announcement designed to wake people to the dangers of aggressive driving

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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 wake
Noun
Furthermore, the light emitted from screens appears to contribute to sleep disturbances by disrupting the release of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. — Erica D. Henn, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026 My authority came from encountering life in the High Atlas Mountains before the present replaced the past, slowly but surely, leaving only memory and story in its wake. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
London — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s upcoming return was plastered across UK’s front pages Thursday, as Britons woke to the surprise news that the couple will move back to the country after six years in the United States. — Max Foster, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 Whoever wrote ‘protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation’ is no credit to the English language as this phrase is both weak and woke. — Stephanie Nolasco , Brie Stimson , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake
  1. consciousness
  2. awaken
  3. awake
  4. warn
  5. wakefulness
  6. rouse
  7. alert
Noun
  • The phenomenon happens so often that some researchers say there is a growing body of evidence that consciousness continues at some level, for at least some period, after the body has died.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The media campaign elevated Trayvon’s death in the nation’s consciousness; a special prosecutor was appointed to oversee the case, and Zimmerman was indicted and arrested.
    — Ryan Young, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of consciousness
Verb
  • This case has awakened debates about infanticide laws, which provide legal defenses only to mothers who kill their infant.
    — Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The co-creators had already hinted that after season 1, the subsequent installments would take the action back to 1935 and 1908, as the creature awakens from his sleep cycle every 27 years.
    — Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of awaken
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
  • In response, Macron warned that if American companies can switch off access to breakthroughs like turning off a light, the value of these leading US innovators could itself be damaged.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Analysts warn each ransom payment fuels more crime as armed groups, from rural bandits to Islamist militants, raid schools, mosques and villages, with an average of 21 kidnappings reported daily.
    — Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of warn
Noun
  • Orexins help regulate wakefulness, as well as attention, motivation and the brain’s reward system.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But in people with narcolepsy, such boundaries become blurred, allowing elements of sleep to intrude into wakefulness in varying ways.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of wakefulness
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
Verb
  • Bonds, who carries the BRCA gene, remembers going to a waiting room and being handed a beeper that would alert her when a doctor was ready.
    — Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • LifeLock's identity and financial monitoring features can alert you to certain signs of identity theft, while its restoration services can help if your information is misused.
    — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of alert

Browse Nearby Words

waiving
wake
wakeful
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Cite this Entry

“Wake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wake

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wake

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