in the wake of
Idioms-
Following directly on, as in In the wake of the procession, a number of small children came skipping down the aisle . This usage alludes to the waves made behind a passing vessel. [c. 1800]
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In the aftermath of, as a consequence of, as in Famine often comes in the wake of war . [Mid-1800s]
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.
The former Prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, in the wake of information that emerged from the Epstein files in the United States.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The stock market on average performed very well in the wake of the 5% of days since 1971 with the biggest Nasdaq-over-Dow divergences.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Stocks meanwhile were broadly higher, with the Nasdaq rising after hitting another all-time high on Friday in the wake of weak US jobs data.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The move comes in the wake of a series of security incidents in which its OpenAI agents escaped containment, hacking some company websites and aggressively probing a range of websites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
After nearly 17 years in London, he returned home to Philadelphia on May 5, 1775, in the wake of the scandal over the Hutchinson letters.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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.
