wake-up
Americannoun
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an act or instance of waking up.
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an act or instance of being awakened.
I asked the hotel desk for a wake-up at 6.
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a time of awaking or being awakened.
I'll need a 5 o'clock wake-up to make the early plane.
adjective
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serving to wake one from sleep.
Tell the front desk you want a wake-up call.
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serving to arouse or alert.
a wake-up call on the problems of pollution.
noun
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informal an alert or intelligent person
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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.
Isabelle Mateos y Lago, chief economist at BNP, told Barron’s on Wednesday the conflict could serve as another wake-up call for world leaders.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
The lawyer said he hoped the massive verdict would serve as a wake-up call for the department and the city as more lawsuits pile up over less-lethal weapons.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
It’s a wake-up call to the art world that the Louvre incident might have spawned a wave of copycat thefts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
"We can call it a wake-up call," says Breuer.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
“This is a wake-up call for me,” Dad says.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
