wake
verb (used without object)
to become roused from sleep; awake; awaken; waken (often followed byup ).
had woken
-
past perfectof wake.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
My right arm had woken me up a few hours earlier, burning and swollen past the point where it even looked like an arm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Tommy Lynch, from Derbyshire, said he had woken from a long sleep in the gifted navy-coloured bedding looking like "an Avatar", in reference to the blue beings from the blockbuster film.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
Rosario, the foreman’s wife, had woken up at 4:30 a.m., as she always does, to make the couple a lunch of homemade tortillas, green beans and refried beans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
She had woken from a nap to find her back door open and her son missing, according to a police report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
I looked at him, startled, as if he had woken me from a dream.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
