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

Megan Thee Stallion addressed the health scare on Instagram, calling it a “real wake-up call for me.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

“The fact that non-fuel import prices increased so much is a wake-up call for policymakers and will keep the Federal Reserve in pause for longer than expected,” said Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

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 • Mar. 20, 2026

Dovile Sakaliene, the former Defence Minister in Vilnius, remembers thinking the parcel plot was a wake-up call for Lithuania's allies.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

It seems early for that, but reveille sneaks up faster than Pop's wake-up call of scorched eggs and charred bacon.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool