awaken
Americanverb (used with or without object)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of awaken
before 900; Middle English awak ( e ) nen, Old English awæcnian earlier onwæcnian. See a- 1, waken
Explanation
To awaken someone is to wake them up. You might awaken your roommate accidentally by practicing your tap dance routine in the kitchen. You can awaken another person, and a noise or the smell of pancakes or a scary dream can all awaken you from a deep sleep. You can also use the verb awaken to describe what happens when you wake from sleep: "I awaken every morning with my pillow on the floor." A more figurative way to awaken is to arouse a certain feeling or awareness. For example, a sad movie can awaken melancholy feelings in the most cheerful person.
Vocabulary lists containing awaken
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here we are, 11 years later, still living in the surreality we first experienced on that day — like a nightmare from which we can’t awaken.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026
The siblings begin to awaken to the possibility of their liberation, from both the Communist regime and the paralyzing taboos of their aristocratic upbringing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
In wet winters, the valleys beyond town awaken in color as sand verbena, desert sunflower, evening primrose and pincushion gather in brief, luminous blooms across the desert floor.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
Guardiola tried to awaken the visitors with a double substitution at half-time, introducing Nico O'Riley and Raya Cherki.
From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026
If Poland was in distress, the knights would awaken and come to the rescue.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
