awake
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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awakes,
present (3rd person singular)
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awoke,
past participle, past
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awaked,
past
-
awoken,
past participle
-
awaking
present participle
-
to wake up; rouse from sleep.
I awoke at six with a feeling of dread.
-
to rouse to action; become active.
His flagging interest awoke.
-
to come or bring to an awareness; become cognizant (often followed byto ).
She awoke to the realities of life.
adjective
-
waking; not sleeping.
-
vigilant; alert.
They were awake to the danger.
verb
-
to emerge or rouse from sleep; wake
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to become or cause to become alert
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(usually foll by to) to become or make aware (of)
to awake to reality
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Also: awaken. (tr) to arouse (feelings, etc) or cause to remember (memories, etc)
adjective
-
not sleeping
-
(sometimes foll by to) lively or alert
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reawakeverb
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awakeableadjective
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half-awakeadjective
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unawakeadjective
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unawakeableadjective
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unawakedadjective
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unawakingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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awakesimple
-
awakessimple
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have awokeperfect
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have awokenperfect
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has awokeperfect
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has awokenperfect
-
am awakingprogressive
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are awakingprogressive
-
is awakingprogressive
-
have been awakingperfect progressive
-
has been awakingperfect progressive
Past
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awakedsimple
-
awokesimple
-
had awokeperfect
-
had awokenperfect
-
was awakingprogressive
-
were awakingprogressive
-
had been awakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of awake
First recorded before 1000; Middle English awaken, Old English awacen, past participle of awæcnan; see a 1, waken
Explanation
When you're awake, you're conscious and aware of your surroundings. When you're not awake, you're asleep. If you are reading this, you are indeed awake. Most people are awake during the day and asleep at night, but if you work the night shift or suffer from insomnia, you might also be awake at night. When awake is used as a verb, it means "wake up:" "I watched my kitten awake from a deep sleep and yawn." Awake comes from two Old English roots, āwæcnan, "to arise," and āwacian, "to revive."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There are only so many hours in a day, which is why he’s awake late into the night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
We love to stop there and grab a little mochi candy or matcha ice cream to keep us awake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
These electrical signals change depending on whether the brain is awake, dreaming or experiencing deep sleep.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Moore reminds us why we lie awake at night, convincing ourselves there might be more to life.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
The first thing I did when I was awake was to go to the window.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
This is the stage set for the release of Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel “Yesteryear,” a satirical thriller in which Christian tradwife influencer Natalie awakes in an 1855 homestead with no explanation and no escape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Ryan Gosling stars in the film as a teacher-turned-astronaut who awakes on a spaceship with a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming phenomenon.
From Barron's ● Mar. 22, 2026
When she awakes, he lies to her about what happened, and season one's cliffhanger ending leaves viewers with the strong impression that Ellie is well aware of the deception.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2025
In 2013, the artists Sam and Toby Alden posted a web comic in which Jon Arbuckle awakes to find himself inside of Garfield, and Garfield tells him, “I’m Sorry Jon. I was so hungry.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024
He awakes as soon as I think it.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
It was 8 a.m. in Omsk when Tatiana was awaked by a phone call.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Satchell, who said the months at the Six Flags site were the highlight of her nursing career, told Dennis she’d awaked that morning sad to see it close.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2021
A few minutes earlier, Tangie Griffin had awaked to screaming; she was used to young Shaquem crying when he bumped his partially developed left hand.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2018
To longtime supporters, it was as if entire sections of the crowd had awaked from a 15-year coma.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2014
Later.—I must have fallen asleep, for I was awaked by Mina, who was sitting up in bed, with a startled look on her face.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
"After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room," it said earlier, before spending a "peaceful night" at the hospital.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Thousands of Bangkok residents awoke in shelters on Sunday after flooding triggered by days of heavy rain in the Thai capital inundated homes and roads, with some starting to dry out their homes and belongings.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The next morning, while the former chef was still in Palm Springs, the filing states that she awoke experiencing severe hemorrhaging and drove herself to the emergency room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
I awoke in Washington on a recent Thursday the proud owner of a pair of Donald Trump’s favorite shoes.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Finally, as dawn approached, Bobby went to sleep and Zita awoke a few hours later.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
"Young people have awoken for our parents, too," Billa told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
GRENOBLE, France—One night last week, Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar was fast asleep on the shores of Lake Geneva when he was suddenly awoken by a knock at his hotel-room door.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Sajili said he was awoken by a fellow passenger as the triple-decker ferry began to tilt precariously.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
They were awoken by neighbours, who knocked on their boat door at 04:20 GMT on Monday.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
But she had awoken in the dark and could not get back to sleep, and so had decided to tidy that sorry little nursery, one last time.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
I do luxuriate in awaking to no news deadlines, playing pickleball when court fees are low and cycling to the beach on a weekday morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
After awaking to his pet Labrador retriever “going crazy,” Huntington Beach resident Jim Sena went to check his backyard, where he spied a trio of raccoons.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2024
Anwar McQueen, a star guard who played on the 1992-93 team, recalls an episode when he overslept, awaking too late to make the team’s flight to Vero Beach, Fla., where they were to play games.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2022
After awaking, he tweeted that he was fortunate he fell ill in Britain instead of in the United States.
From Fox News ● Aug. 5, 2020
And now Dawn took her own fair throne, awaking the girl in the sweet gown, still charmed by dream.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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