awaken
Americanverb (used with or without object)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
awakensimple
-
awakenssimple
-
have awakenedperfect
-
has awakenedperfect
-
are awakeningprogressive
-
am awakeningprogressive
-
is awakeningprogressive
-
have been awakeningperfect progressive
-
has been awakeningperfect progressive
Past
-
awakenedsimple
-
had awakenedperfect
-
was awakeningprogressive
-
were awakeningprogressive
-
had been awakeningperfect progressive
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
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.
“It’s amazing, and it’s also scary,” said Andrew Duca, chief executive of Awaken Tax, a cryptocurrency tax platform.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
The much-awaited admission earlier this month during a speaking engagement at San Diego's Awaken Church, according to a recording obtained by The Daily Beast.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2022
Biip says this is exactly what’s happened with several of his own designs, with sets like DSA Milkshake and GMK Awaken getting cloned even before their respective group buys started.
From The Verge • Feb. 7, 2022
Shower updates can complement a sink faucet; for example, try the HydroRail-R Awaken Shift Ellipse by Kohler, which comes with dual rain and hand shower heads.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 15, 2021
Awaken, ye breezes, row gently, ye billows, And waft my dear laddie ance mair to my arms.
From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Burns, Robert
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.
