wake-up
Americannoun
-
an act or instance of waking up.
-
an act or instance of being awakened.
I asked the hotel desk for a wake-up at 6.
-
a time of awaking or being awakened.
I'll need a 5 o'clock wake-up to make the early plane.
adjective
-
serving to wake one from sleep.
Tell the front desk you want a wake-up call.
-
serving to arouse or alert.
a wake-up call on the problems of pollution.
noun
-
informal an alert or intelligent person
-
informal to be fully alert to (a person, thing, action, etc)
Etymology
Origin of wake-up
First recorded in 1835–45; noun, adj. use of verb phrase wake up
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.
"This should be a wake-up call," he tells me.
From BBC
That was a wake-up call for Canada and Sam Reinhart brought them within a goal with just under six minutes remaining in the second period, tipping in Cale Makar's shot on a power play.
From Barron's
It's a good wake-up call and a realisation of what this game demands.
From BBC
"Geopolitical turmoil in the wake of the crisis in Greenland has been a wake-up call," Jorgensen told reporters.
From Barron's
By the song’s third appearance, the director said, it’s a “wake-up moment” for everyone.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
