awake

[uh-weyk]

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.

adjective

1. waking; not sleeping.

2. vigilant; alert.

   They were awake to the danger.

awake

/ 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)

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of awake¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of awake¹

Old English awacian, awacan; see _wake ¹

Example Sentences

"I'm awake, but I'm not jittery," she says of the drink.

Read more on BBC

The five tenants also had to put up with a faulty ventilation system that was so noisy it kept them awake at night and caused mould.

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The job is still physically demanding and involves running a few miles to checkpoints and staying awake nearly around the clock.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr McKenzie said: "She described that none of them were awake and that she did not know if they were breathing."

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Benefo flinches awake, scrambling out of his chair to see exactly what I’m seeing—a stampede of gigantic, armored cows.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• alive 
• attentive 
• aware 
• cognizant 
• vigilant