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

A freshman at Harvard, I awoke on March 10, 2020, to an email telling undergraduates to vacate campus.

From The Wall Street Journal

The sun just barely awake sets in a blaze sandwiched between vast grey sky and vast grey sea.

From Salon

They come while you are awake, come with your eyes open, and are completely real.

From Literature

She was awake but did not want the fish I brought her or any of the meat the plane had dropped or the rice and blueberry cakes I had stored away for myself.

From Literature

Let's Go Hydro's Pete Boyle said the thought of someone getting into difficulty in the water kept him awake at night.

From BBC

Related Words

• alive
• attentive
• aware
• cognizant
• vigilant