wake
1to 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.
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.
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.
Origin of wake
1Other words for wake
Opposites for wake
Other words from wake
- waker, noun
- half-waking, adjective
- un·waked, adjective
- un·wak·ing, adjective
Other definitions for wake (2 of 2)
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
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use wake in a sentence
Therefore, in the wake of Google’s antitrust suit, a new market for specialized information has emerged.
Once sea bound, the icebergs slowly melt, releasing critical nutrients in their wake and providing seals with both food and shelter.
These Photos Remind Us Why Conservation Matters - Issue 92: Frontiers | Kevin Berger | November 11, 2020 | NautilusThe recall comes in the wake of 23 reports of fire and eight reports of minor burns related to the model.
The sentiment going into the home opener against Xavier was that just fielding a team in the wake of the tragedy was a huge victory.
Marshall football, 50 years after plane crash, carries on, and remembers | John Feinstein | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostThis time last week, in the wake of earnings from tech’s five largest American companies and early results from other software companies, it appeared that tech shares were in danger of losing their mojo.
Software companies are reporting a pretty good third quarter | Alex Wilhelm | November 6, 2020 | TechCrunch
Imagine waking up to find a guy who looks like a tech startup employee eating your charred crispy leg.
The Red Viper, Zoe Barnes, and the Best Fictional Deaths of 2014 | Melissa Leon | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWaking briefly a few times throughout the night, I heard sounds, voices, slamming doors.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything | Liz Seccuro | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe tells clients to open curtains as much as possible to get exposure to natural light right when the body is waking up.
The next thing I remember was waking up in his bed back at the Sherry, naked.
Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004 | Marlow Stern | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“In his waking hours, Kane had certainly forgotten the sled and the name which was painted on it,” he wrote.
Many times, in his dreams and in his waking thoughts, he had lived over scenes similar to this.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonI remember waking up one night and looking out of my bunk to see him standing on the floor.
Uncanny Tales | VariousAfter the total oblivion of the matter in his waking moments, he will sometimes recall all the details of the affair in a dream.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)All this I admit to be the fever of the mind—a waking dream—an illusion to which mesmerism or magic is but a frivolity.
If only they both come to realise it in their normal waking states his Double will cease these nocturnal excursions.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for wake (1 of 2)
/ (weɪk) /
(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 aware: at 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
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
Origin of wake
1usage For wake
Derived forms of wake
- waker, noun
British Dictionary definitions for wake (2 of 2)
/ (weɪk) /
the waves or track left by a vessel or other object moving through water
the track or path left by anything that has passed: wrecked houses in the wake of the hurricane
Origin of wake
2Collins 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
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with wake
In addition to the idioms beginning with wake
, also see
- in the wake of
- to wake the dead
.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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