wake

[ weyk ]

/ weɪk /

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See synonyms for: wake / waked / waking / woken on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), waked or woke

[wohk], /woʊk/, waked or wok·en

[woh-kuhn], /ˈwoʊ kən/, wak·ing.

to become roused from sleep; awake; awaken; waken (often followed by up).

to become roused from a tranquil or inactive state; awaken; waken: to wake from one's daydreams.

to become cognizant or aware of something; awaken; waken: to wake to the true situation.

to be or continue to be awake: Whether I wake or sleep, I think of you.

to remain awake for some purpose, duty, etc.: I will wake until you return.

to hold a wake over a corpse.

to keep watch or vigil.

verb (used with object), waked or woke

[wohk], /woʊk/, waked or wok·en

[woh-kuhn], /ˈwoʊ kən/, wak·ing.

to rouse from sleep; awake; awaken; waken (often followed by up): Don't wake me for breakfast. Wake me up at six o'clock.

to rouse from lethargy, apathy, ignorance, etc. (often followed by up): The tragedy woke us up to the need for safety precautions.

to hold a wake for or over (a dead person).

to keep watch or vigil over.

noun

a watching, or a watch kept, especially for some solemn or ceremonial purpose.

a watch or vigil by the body of a dead person before burial, sometimes accompanied by feasting or merrymaking.

a local annual festival in England, formerly held in honor of the patron saint or on the anniversary of the dedication of a church but now usually having little or no religious significance.

the state of being awake: between sleep and wake.

OTHER WORDS FOR wake

8 arouse.

9 stimulate, activate, animate, kindle, provoke.

See synonyms for wake on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR wake

1 sleep.

See antonyms for wake on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of wake

First recorded before 900; (verb) in sense “to become awake” continuing Middle English waken, Old English wacan ; in sense “to be awake” continuing Middle English waken, Old English wacian (cognate with Old Frisian wakia, Old Saxon wakōn, Old Norse vaka, Gothic wakan ); in sense “to rouse from sleep” continuing Middle English waken, replacing Middle English wecchen, Old English weccan; (noun) Middle English: “state of wakefulness, vigil,” probably continuing unattested Old English wacu (found in nihtwacu “night-watch”); all ultimately from unattested Germanic wak- “be lively”; akin to watch, vegetate;cf. waken

OTHER WORDS FROM wake

waker, nounhalf-waking, adjectiveun·waked, adjectiveun·wak·ing, adjective

Words nearby wake

waka, Wakamatsu, wakame, Wakashan, Wakayama, wake, wakeboarding, Wakefield, wakeful, Wake Island, wakeless

Other definitions for wake (2 of 2)

wake²

[ weyk ]

/ weɪk /

noun

the track of waves left by a ship or other object moving through the water: The wake of the boat glowed in the darkness.

the path or course of anything that has passed or preceded: The tornado left ruin in its wake.

Origin of wake

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle Low German, Dutch wake, or Old Norse vǫk, vaka “opening or hole in the ice”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wake in a sentence

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, this number can certainly be expected to increase, as this spring’s primaries have indicated.
The biggest threat to mail-in voting isn’t security—it’s politics|matthewheimer|August 24, 2020|Fortune
A separate study I conducted of newspaper coverage in the wake of the 2016 election found that about a third of news stories and op-eds argued that Clinton lost because of her focus on identity politics.
How Clinton’s Loss Paved The Way For Biden|Seth Masket|August 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
That’s according to a working paper, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in May, that looks at how violent crimes by veterans increased after overseas deployment began in the wake of the attacks on the Twin Towers.
The Hidden Costs of War: Vet Crimes|Nick Fouriezos|August 19, 2020|Ozy
The US’s declining stature in the wake of the pandemic is accelerating two global political trends that have emerged in the last five years.
Covid-19 and the geopolitics of American decline|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Supply chains across industries are going through an unprecedented global disruption in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic which has shuttered airports, seaports and hampered the movement of goods and people around the world.
Africa is tackling its supply chain deficit with a US-backed research center in Ghana|Yinka Adegoke|July 27, 2020|Quartz
That is why The Daily Beast stands with Charlie Hebdo and published their controversial covers in the wake of the attack.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the wake of this turmoil, the New York Post reported that the police had stopped policing.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, we have just had a necessary wake-up call that all is not as secure as we believed.
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat|Clive Irving|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The newly free country struggled to maintain order in the wake of independence, but it was woefully unprepared.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the wake of the verdicts in Ferguson and New York City, many of us are still sore with emotion.
The Stacks: A Chicken Dinner That Mends Your Heart|Pete Dexter|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The latter gentleman was wondering whether he had fallen into a dream that he should wake up from in the morning.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
And a little later we, too, left the post, following in the dusty wake of the paymaster's wagon and its mounted escort.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
As the impressive progress continued the revellers ceased their revels and followed in the wake of Aristide.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Woman—Thou beest a sound sleeper—Wake up, and see to thy bairn, and I will gie thee both a good breakfast.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
Again his rage touched my admiration; but I got him away before he made enough noise to wake the whole Camp.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for wake (1 of 2)

wake¹

/ (weɪk) /

verb wakes, waking, woke or woken

(often foll by up) to rouse or become roused from sleep

(often foll by up) to rouse or become roused from inactivity

(intr; often foll by to or up to) to become conscious or awareat last he woke to the situation

(intr) to be or remain awake

(tr) to arouse (feelings etc)

dialect to hold a wake over (a corpse)

archaic, or dialect to keep watch over

wake up and smell the coffee informal to face up to reality, especially in an unpleasant situation

noun

a watch or vigil held over the body of a dead person during the night before burial

(in Ireland) festivities held after a funeral

the patronal or dedication festival of English parish churches

a solemn or ceremonial vigil

(usually plural) an annual holiday in any of various towns in northern England, when the local factory or factories close, usually for a week or two weeks

rare the state of being awake

Derived forms of wake

waker, noun

Word Origin for wake

Old English wacian; related to Old Frisian wakia, Old High German wahtēn

usage for wake

Where there is an object and the sense is the literal one wake (up) and waken are the commonest forms: I wakened him; I woke him (up). Both verbs are also commonly used without an object: I woke up . Awake and awaken are preferred to other forms of wake where the sense is a figurative one: he awoke to the danger

British Dictionary definitions for wake (2 of 2)

wake²

/ (weɪk) /

noun

the waves or track left by a vessel or other object moving through water

the track or path left by anything that has passedwrecked houses in the wake of the hurricane

Word Origin for wake

C16: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse vaka, vök hole cut in ice, Swedish vak, Danish vaage; perhaps related to Old Norse vökr, Middle Dutch wak wet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for wake

wake

A funeral celebration, common in Ireland, at which the participants stay awake all night keeping watch over the body of the dead person before burial. A wake traditionally involves a good deal of feasting and drinking.

Other Idioms and Phrases with wake

wake

In addition to the idioms beginning with wake

, also see

in the wake of
to wake the dead

wake

OTHER WORDS FOR wake

OPPOSITES FOR wake

Origin of wake

OTHER WORDS FROM wake

Words nearby wake

Other definitions for wake (2 of 2)

Origin of wake

Words related to wake

How to use wake in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wake (1 of 2)

Derived forms of wake

Word Origin for wake

usage for wake

British Dictionary definitions for wake (2 of 2)

Word Origin for wake

Cultural definitions for wake

Other Idioms and Phrases with wake