awaken
Americanverb (used with or without object)
Other Word Forms
- awakenable adjective
- awakener noun
- reawaken verb
- well-awakened adjective
Etymology
Origin of awaken
before 900; Middle English awak ( e ) nen, Old English awæcnian earlier onwæcnian. See a- 1, waken
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.
We encounter creation—God’s relation to the world—as something given: not something we authored, but the condition in which we awaken.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 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
Another coach has wandered into Westwood saying he’ll awaken the Sleeping Giant.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
Goalkeeper Pope had to make big saves to deny both Lucas Paqueta and Max Kilman, before West Ham levelled, but those warnings failed to awaken Newcastle from their slumber.
From BBC • Nov. 2, 2025
Derek did not awaken, made no change of any kind.
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
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.
