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; 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

A father of two daughters, Ahmed said: "My wife and I lie awake at night talking about how to protect them from systems that could reach them before we even know it is happening."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The sauce should feel awake — not spiky, not sour — just balanced enough that the richness doesn’t linger too long.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

They were less sleepy and could remain awake longer during simulated work hours.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

If you ask an AI, “What energy drink will keep me awake all night so I can finish this report?” it will likely recommend a pantry’s worth of caffeine-laden soft drinks, never questioning the plan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

So he tried hard to stay awake, even though he was sleepy, because he knew this was important.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

• alive
• attentive
• aware
• cognizant
• vigilant