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

But he still has trouble sleeping, he said, sometimes snapping awake in the middle of the night, thinking about the ordeal.

From Los Angeles Times

Coal had been awake long before the cooking and banging started.

From Literature

Reports appeared to fall overnight on Sunday, before climbing again on Monday as some TikTok users in the US awoke to continued issues.

From BBC

Sajili said he was awoken by a fellow passenger as the triple-decker ferry began to tilt precariously.

From Barron's

The booming sound startled Owen awake and made Momma Bear flinch.

From Literature

Related Words

• alive
• attentive
• aware
• cognizant
• vigilant