verb

wake

WAYK

verb

To stop sleeping, or to rouse someone from sleep.

"I woke up at six to catch the early train."

"Please don't wake the baby."

noun

A gathering held before or after a funeral to remember the person who died.

"Family and friends shared stories at his wake."

The trail of disturbed water left behind a moving boat, or turbulence left behind anything moving through air or water.

"The jet ski left a foaming wake across the lake."

"Their divorce left chaos in its wake."

How to Use Wake

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither stopping sleep, a funeral gathering, or the trail left behind something moving.

Common pairings

wake up hold a wake in the wake of

Word Forms

woke past tense, waked past tense, woken past tense, wake plural, woke plural, waked plural, wakes plural, wakes plural, wakes singular, wake singular, waked singular, woke singular, wakest singular, wokest singular, waketh singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Please don't _____ the baby.

Etymology

From two closely related Old English verbs, wacan and wacian, both meaning "to be or become awake" — they merged over time into one word.

Synonyms

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abraid arise arouse awake awaken get up rise rouse stir wake up waken

Antonyms

sleep fall asleep

Related Words

increase accumulate night fall arise awake sleep rise

Rhymes for wake

ake take make rake cake lake sake bake fake jake Dake snake

See all rhymes for wake →

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