wake

¹

[ weyk ]

verb (used without object)

, waked or woke [wohk], waked or wok·en [woh, -k, uh, n], wak·ing.

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

   Antonyms: sleep

2. to become roused from a tranquil or inactive state; awaken; waken:

   to wake from one's daydreams.

3. to become cognizant or aware of something; awaken; waken:

   to wake to the true situation.

4. to be or continue to be awake:

   Whether I wake or sleep, I think of you.

5. to remain awake for some purpose, duty, etc.:

   I will wake until you return.

6. to hold a wake over a corpse.
7. to keep watch or vigil.

verb (used with object)

, waked or woke [wohk], waked or wok·en [woh, -k, uh, n], wak·ing.

1. to rouse from sleep; awake; awaken; waken (often followed by up ):

   Don't wake me for breakfast. Wake me up at six o'clock.

   Synonyms: arouse

2. to rouse from lethargy, apathy, ignorance, etc. (often followed by up ):

   The tragedy woke us up to the need for safety precautions.

   Synonyms: provoke, kindle, animate, activate, stimulate

3. to hold a wake for or over (a dead person).
4. to keep watch or vigil over.

noun

1. a watching, or a watch kept, especially for some solemn or ceremonial purpose.
2. a watch or vigil by the body of a dead person before burial, sometimes accompanied by feasting or merrymaking.
3. 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.
4. the state of being awake:

   between sleep and wake.

wake

²

[ weyk ]

noun

1. the track of waves left by a ship or other object moving through the water:

   The wake of the boat glowed in the darkness.

2. the path or course of anything that has passed or preceded:

   The tornado left ruin in its wake.

wake

¹

/ weɪk /

noun

1. the waves or track left by a vessel or other object moving through water
2. the track or path left by anything that has passed

   wrecked houses in the wake of the hurricane

wake

²

/ weɪk /

verb

1. often foll by up to rouse or become roused from sleep
2. often foll by up to rouse or become roused from inactivity
3. intr; often foll by to or up to to become conscious or aware

   at last he woke to the situation

4. intr to be or remain awake
5. tr to arouse (feelings etc)
6. dialect.
   to hold a wake over (a corpse)
7. archaic.
   to keep watch over
8. wake up and smell the coffee informal.
   wake up and smell the coffee to face up to reality, especially in an unpleasant situation

noun

1. a watch or vigil held over the body of a dead person during the night before burial
2. (in Ireland) festivities held after a funeral
3. the patronal or dedication festival of English parish churches
4. a solemn or ceremonial vigil
5. 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
6. rare.
   the state of being awake

wake

1. 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.

Usage

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

Derived Forms

• ˈwaker, noun

Other Words From

• waker noun
• half-waking adjective
• un·waked adjective
• un·waking adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wake¹

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; waken

Origin of wake²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wake¹

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

Origin of wake²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the wake of,
   1. as a result of:

      An investigation followed in the wake of the scandal.

   2. succeeding; following:

      in the wake of the pioneers.

More idioms and phrases containing wake

• in the wake of
• to wake the dead

Example Sentences

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, this number can certainly be expected to increase, as this spring’s primaries have indicated.

From 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.

From 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.

From 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.

From 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.

From Quartz

That is why The Daily Beast stands with Charlie Hebdo and published their controversial covers in the wake of the attack.

From The Daily Beast

In the wake of this turmoil, the New York Post reported that the police had stopped policing.

From The Daily Beast

However, we have just had a necessary wake-up call that all is not as secure as we believed.

From The Daily Beast

The newly free country struggled to maintain order in the wake of independence, but it was woefully unprepared.

From The Daily Beast

In the wake of the verdicts in Ferguson and New York City, many of us are still sore with emotion.

From The Daily Beast

The latter gentleman was wondering whether he had fallen into a dream that he should wake up from in the morning.

From Project Gutenberg

And a little later we, too, left the post, following in the dusty wake of the paymaster's wagon and its mounted escort.

From Project Gutenberg

As the impressive progress continued the revellers ceased their revels and followed in the wake of Aristide.

From Project Gutenberg

Woman—Thou beest a sound sleeper—Wake up, and see to thy bairn, and I will gie thee both a good breakfast.

From Project Gutenberg

Again his rage touched my admiration; but I got him away before he made enough noise to wake the whole Camp.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aftermath
• wave