awake

American  

[uh-weyk] / əˈweɪk /

verb (used with or without object)

awoke, awaked, awoke, awaked, awoken, awaking

1. to wake up; rouse from sleep.

   I awoke at six with a feeling of dread.

2. to rouse to action; become active.

   His flagging interest awoke.

3. to come or bring to an awareness; become cognizant (often followed byto ).

   She awoke to the realities of life.

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adjective

1. waking; not sleeping.

2. vigilant; alert.

   They were awake to the danger.

awake British  

/ əˈweɪk /

verb

1. to emerge or rouse from sleep; wake

2. to become or cause to become alert

3. (usually foll by to) to become or make aware (of)

   to awake to reality

4. Also: awaken.  (tr) to arouse (feelings, etc) or cause to remember (memories, etc)

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adjective

1. not sleeping

2. (sometimes foll by to) lively or alert

Other Word Forms

• awakeable adjective
• half-awake adjective
• reawake verb
• unawake adjective
• unawakeable adjective
• unawaked adjective
• unawaking adjective

Etymology

Origin of awake

First recorded before 1000; Middle English awaken, Old English awacen, past participle of awæcnan; a ¹, waken

Example Sentences

When I awoke again, it was still dark.

From Literature

I couldn’t remember what it was, but in the morning I awoke suddenly, my heart pounding and a sharp pain in my stomach.

From Literature

This morning, however, I awoke to a freezing house.

From MarketWatch

I bolted awake at 7 a.m.—unusual for me any day, but especially on vacation.

From The Wall Street Journal

As if his father and brother are awake in some scenes, asking him to remember.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alive
• attentive
• aware
• cognizant
• vigilant