wake up

From wake + up.

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/, [ˌweɪˈkʌp]

  • Audio (Received Pronunciation):

    (file)

  • Audio (Received Pronunciation):

    (file)

wake up (third-person singular simple present wakes up, present participle waking up, simple past woke up or waked up, past participle woken up or waked up)

1. (intransitive) To stop sleeping; to awake.
   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.

   • 1967, John Lennon/Paul McCartney, A Day in the Life:

     "Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head"

   • 2020, “Birds of Paradise, Birds of Prey”, performed by The Acacia Strain:

     I fell asleep in God's arms and woke up in hell

2. (transitive) To awaken somebody.

   Wake your brother up; it's time for school.

   • 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 3, in Death on the Centre Court:

     It had been his intention to go to Wimbledon, but as he himself said: “Why be blooming well frizzled when you can hear all the results over the wireless. […] You stand by, Janet, and wake me up if they do any of that running commentary stuff.”

3. (intransitive) To become more aware of a real-life situation; to concentrate on the matter in hand.

   Some businesses were slow to wake up to the importance of the Internet.

   That's the third time you've made the same mistake. Wake up!

   • 2023 May 31, “Network News: Action suspended on Elizabeth line”, in RAIL, number 984, page 21:

     "Elizabeth line staff are multi-skilled and operate the world's only fully digital railway, but many earn significantly less than other TfL staff in similar roles.That is clearly not an acceptable or sustainable position, and it looks as though the company is waking up to the fact."

• dawn on someone
• see daylight