wake-up call

British  

noun

1. a telephone call that wakes a person from sleep

2. an event that alerts people to a danger or difficulty

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wake-up call Idioms  

1. A portentous event, report, or situation that brings an issue to immediate attention. For example, The rise in unemployment has given a wake-up call to state governments, or The success of the online subscription is a wake-up call to publishers. This metaphoric term originated in the second half of the 1900s for a telephone call arranged in advance to awaken a sleeper, especially in a hotel. Its figurative use dates from about 1990.

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Example Sentences

The “Messy” hitmaker told Rolling Stone in a recent interview that she was grateful that she fainted onstage late last year, and framed the scary ordeal as a wake-up call.

From Los Angeles Times

"We can call it a wake-up call," says Breuer.

From BBC

Unilever’s wake-up call came in 2017 with an unsolicited takeover approach from Kraft Heinz, then lauded for its skill in cutting costs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Simo told staff Anthropic’s success should serve as a “wake-up call” for the company, and that it had to regain the lead among software developers and enterprise customers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Smith said the 69-62 loss to Sierra Canyon was a wake-up call for the Knights.

From Los Angeles Times