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

“The thing that really keeps me awake at night is the likelihood of a number of risks crystallizing at the same time,” Breeden told the BBC in an interview published Friday.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

"If it's a little bit too high, government needs to be able to be awake to that," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 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

Researchers assessed their ability to stay awake in a controlled, low-stimulation setting during hours that matched their typical work schedule.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

For Duane, it was best if Handsome was off-balance and not quite awake.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• alive
• attentive
• aware
• cognizant
• vigilant