wake up
To stop sleeping and open your eyes; or to realize something important you hadn't noticed before.
Meanings
To stop sleeping and become awake and conscious.
"I woke up at six o'clock this morning and couldn't get back to sleep."
To cause someone else to stop sleeping.
"The loud thunder woke me up at three in the morning."
To become aware of a truth, problem, or situation that one had been ignoring.
"Governments need to wake up to the reality of climate change before it is too late."
To become more alert, energetic, or lively after a period of dullness.
"The whole room woke up when the comedian finally came on stage."
One of the most common phrasal verbs in English. When transitive ('wake someone up'), it is separable. The figurative sense ('wake up to the truth') is very common in political and motivational speech. The imperative 'Wake up!' is used both literally and figuratively.
Commonly used with
Forms
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Synonyms
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