Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » wake

wake

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

To wake is defined as to come out of being asleep.

(verb)

An example of to wake is an alarm clock going off in the morning, making someone become alert by taking them out of sleep.

Wake is a pre-burial gathering of the family and friends of someone who has recently died.

(noun)

An example of a wake is an Irish celebration of a person's life shortly after passing.

The definition of a wake is the trail left in the water by a moving ship or boat.

(noun)

An example of a wake is the path behind a speed boat which is cruising on a lake.

See wake in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb woke, waked, waked, woken, waking

to come out of sleep or a state like or suggestive of sleep, as a stupor or trance; awake: often with up
to be or stay awake
to become active or animated after inactivity or dormancy: often with up
to become alert (to a realization, possibility, etc.)
wakedChiefly Dial. to keep watch or vigil; esp., to hold a wake over a corpse

Origin: ME wakien < OE wacian, to be awake & wacan, to arise, akin to Ger wachen < IE base *weĝ-, to be active > L vegere, to arouse, be active, Sans vāja-, strength, speed

transitive verb

to cause to wake from or as from sleep: often with up
to arouse, excite, or stir up (passions, etc.) or evoke (a sound, echo, etc.)
wakedChiefly Dial. to keep watch or vigil over; esp., to hold a wake over (a corpse)

noun

Now Rare the state of being awake
a watch over or viewing of a corpse before burial, formerly often with festivities
Anglican Ch. an annual parish festival, originally held in honor of a patron saint

noun

the track or trail left in the water by a moving ship or boat
the track or course of anything that has gone before or passed by

Origin: prob. via LowG < ON vök, hole, opening in the ice: for IE base see humor

See wake in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb woke woke (wōk) or waked (wākt), waked waked or wok·en (wōˈkən), wak·ing, wakes

verb, intransitive

a. To cease to sleep; become awake: overslept and woke late.
b. To stay awake: Bears wake for spring, summer, and fall and hibernate for the winter.
c. To be brought into a state of awareness or alertness: suddenly woke to the danger we were in.
To keep watch or guard, especially over a corpse.

verb, transitive

To rouse from sleep; awaken.
To stir, as from a dormant or inactive condition; rouse: wake old animosities.
To make aware of; alert: The shocking revelations finally woke me to the facts of the matter.
a. To keep a vigil over.
b. To hold a wake over.

noun

A watch; a vigil.
A watch over the body of a deceased person before burial, sometimes accompanied by festivity. Also called regionally viewing.
wakes (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Chiefly British
a. A parish festival held annually, often in honor of a patron saint.
b. An annual vacation.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English wakien, waken

Origin: , from Old English wacan, to wake up

Origin: and wacian, to be awake, keep watch; see weg- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

wakˈer noun

Usage Note: The pairs wake, waken and awake, awaken have formed a bewildering array since the Middle English period. All four words have similar meanings, though there are some differences in use. Only wake is used in the sense “to be awake,” as in expressions like waking (not wakening) and sleeping, every waking hour. Wake is also more common than waken when used together with up, and awake and awaken never occur in this context: She woke up (rarely wakened up; never awakened up or awoke up). Some writers have suggested that waken should be used only transitively (as in The alarm wakened him) and awaken only intransitively (as in He awakened at dawn), but there is ample literary precedent for usages such as He wakened early and They did not awaken her. In figurative senses awake and awaken are more prevalent: With the governor's defeat the party awoke to the strength of the opposition to its position on abortion. The scent of the gardenias awakened my memory of his unexpected appearance that afternoon years ago.Regional Note: Regional American dialects vary in the way that certain verbs form their principal parts. Northern dialects seem to favor forms that change the internal vowel in the verb—hence dove for the past tense of dive, and woke for wake: They woke up with a start. Southern dialects, on the other hand, tend to prefer forms that add an -ed to form the past tense and the past participle of these same verbs: The children dived into the swimming hole. The baby waked up early.

noun

The visible track of turbulence left by something moving through water: the wake of a ship.
A track, course, or condition left behind something that has passed: The war left destruction and famine in its wake.

Origin:

Origin: Possibly from Middle Low German, hole in the ice

Origin: , of Scandinavian origin

Origin: ; akin to Old Norse vök

Learn more about wake

wake synonyms

wake Culture

wake phrase meanings

wake in a sentence

wake quotes

wake images