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.
   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

Maybe the best high school running back to ever come out of Orange County woke up ready to devour the college that had only wanted him if he would play defensive back.

From Los Angeles Times

“September 5,” which has earned strong buzz since its back-to-back premieres at the Venice and Telluride film festivals, has only become more timely in the wake of last year’s Oct.

From Los Angeles Times

Forays by settlers and Israeli soldiers to uproot Palestinians' olive trees, both in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, have escalated dramatically in the wake of the Hamas attack on Oct.

From Salon

Bluesky has at times been the most downloaded app on both the US and UK Apple Stores, with many social media users leaving X in the wake of the US election.

From BBC

Together, Trump said in his statement, the two men would take on “the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aftermath
• wave