awaken
Americanverb (used with or without object)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have awakenedperfect
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has awakenedperfect 3rd person singular
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are awakeningprogressive
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am awakeningprogressive 1st person singular
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has been awakeningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is awakeningprogressive 3rd person singular
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awakeningparticiple
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have been awakeningperfect progressive
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awakenssingular 3rd person
Past
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had awakenedperfect
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had been awakeningperfect progressive
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awakenedparticiple
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was awakeningprogressive singular
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awakenedsimple
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were awakeningprogressive plural
Future
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
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.
