wake
WAYK
Wake (verb) means to stop sleeping, or to rouse someone from sleep. Example: “I woke up at six to catch the early train.”
verb
1
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
1
A gathering held before or after a funeral to remember the person who died.
"After the service, everyone gathered at the pub for the wake."
"She told funny stories about her grandfather at the wake."
"Family and friends shared stories at his wake."
2
The trail of disturbed water left behind a moving boat, or turbulence left behind anything moving through air or water.
"Seagulls followed the ferry, wheeling above its white wake."
"The jet ski left a foaming wake across the lake."
"Their divorce left chaos in its wake."
How to use wake
Learner’s notesIn 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
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Word forms
- Plural
- wakes
- Third person singular
- wakes
- Past tense
- woke, waked, woken
- Archaic forms
- wakest, wokest, waketh
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
View more →Antonyms
sleep
fall asleep
Related words
Rhymes for wake
See all rhymes for wake →Frequently asked questions
What does “wake” mean?
The word “wake” means to stop sleeping, or to rouse someone from sleep. In plain terms, either stopping sleep, a funeral gathering, or the trail left behind something moving.
How do you pronounce “wake”?
“Wake” is pronounced WAYK (/ˈweɪ̯k/ in IPA).
How do you use “wake” in a sentence?
Here is “wake” used in a sentence: “Please don't wake the baby.”
What is the opposite of “wake”?
The opposite of “wake” — its antonyms — are sleep and fall asleep.
What part of speech is “wake”?
Depending on how it is used, “wake” can be a verb and a noun.
Where does the word “wake” come from?
The word “wake” comes from Old English. From two closely related Old English verbs, wacan and wacian, both meaning "to be or become awake" — they merged over time into one word.
Is “wake” a common word?
“Wake” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
What is the difference between wake and awake?
Wake is mainly a verb — the action of stopping sleep, as in 'I wake at six.' Awake is usually an adjective describing the state of not being asleep, as in 'I'm awake.' You wake up (verb) and then you are awake (adjective).
What is the past tense of wake?
Wake is irregular: its past tense is woke, as in 'I woke early,' and its past participle is woken, as in 'I had woken before dawn.' The form 'waked' exists but is rare and old-fashioned in modern English, so woke and woken are standard.
What is the difference between wake and wake up?
They mean essentially the same thing. Wake up is the more common, natural phrasing in everyday speech, while wake alone sounds slightly more formal or literary. Both describe stopping sleep or rousing someone, so 'wake me at seven' and 'wake me up at seven' are equivalent.
What is the opposite of wake?
The opposite of waking is falling asleep or going to sleep — the shift from being conscious back into slumber. Related opposites include drift off, doze off, and nod off, all describing the move into sleep rather than out of it.
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