awaken

[ uh-wey-kuhn ]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to awake; waken.

Other Words From

• a·waken·a·ble adjective
• a·waken·er noun
• rea·waken verb
• well-a·wakened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of awaken¹

before 900; Middle English awak ( e ) nen, Old English awæcnian earlier onwæcnian. See a- ¹, waken

Example Sentences

It should be noted that awakening the nation to the requirement for this new level of representation is indeed a national concern.

From Washington Post

S&P 500 at the end of 2021Stocks will keep climbing as new vaccines gradually awaken more industries from their pandemic-induced comas.

From Fortune

He dreams of a fire breaking out and finds that fire is real when he awakens—and that he has an odd, painful wound on his ankle.

From Ars Technica

More than 1 in 5 Americans say they’ve seen or experienced a ghost, and some self-isolating during the pandemic have claimed their own house spectres have awakened them, shaken their windows or even found long-lost items for them.

From Ozy

She would go on to become a law professor and a well-known women’s rights activist attorney — but it was a trip to Sweden that awakened the feminist in RBG.

From Ozy

I get lifted by yearning, as if I were going to melt into him again, then I awaken to reality and seek to quiet my feelings.

From The Daily Beast

Half a year earlier, he presciently said Sunnis had begun to “awaken” (his word) in Anbar Province.

From The Daily Beast

Zionism hardly resolved my problems of modern Jewish identity, but it did awaken my pride in peoplehood.

From The Daily Beast

The New York Times has only recently begun to awaken from its 10-year slumber.

From The Daily Beast

We need artists and filmmakers to awaken America to the disaster ahead.

From The Daily Beast

A ray of Consciousness is passed over that impression and you re-read it, you re-awaken the record.

From Project Gutenberg

If you are thinking of making an Abstract of a particular book, awaken the utmost interest in regard to it before you begin.

From Project Gutenberg

Whereas her first impulse had been to awaken someone, preferably Sir Lucien, now her sole desire was to escape undetected.

From Project Gutenberg

Paula had announced her intention of visiting her children in the course of the afternoon; she would hardly awaken for luncheon.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor was Mr. Bumbles gloom the only thing calculated to awaken a pleasing melancholy in the bosom of a spectator.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• arouse
• awake
• excite
• provoke
• revive
• rouse
• wake