Meanings
verbwake 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)
present singular third person wakes up · participle present waking up · past woke up · past waked up · participle past woken up · participle past waked up
- intransitiveTo stop sleeping; to awake.
I fell asleep in God's arms and woke up in hell
2020, “Birds of Paradise, Birds of Prey”, performed by The Acacia Strain2 more examples
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.
1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC"Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head"
1967, John Lennon/Paul McCartney, A Day in the Life - transitiveTo awaken somebody.
Wake your brother up; it's time for school.
1 more example
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.”
1935, George Goodchild, chapter 3, in Death on the Centre Court - intransitiveTo become more aware of a real-life situation; to concentrate on the matter in hand.
That's the third time you've made the same mistake. Wake up!
2 more examples
Some businesses were slow to wake up to the importance of the Internet.
"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."
2023 May 31, “Network News: Action suspended on Elizabeth line”, in RAIL, number 984, page 21
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Afrikaans wakker word, wakker maak
- wakker wordto (become) awake
- wakker maakto awaken (someone else)
- wekto awaken (someone else)
Arabic صَحَا, اِسْتَيْقَظَ
- صَحَا (ṣaḥā)to (become) awake
- اِسْتَيْقَظَ (istayqaẓa)to (become) awake
- نَهَضَ مِنَ النَّوْمِ (nahaḍa mina n-nawmi)to (become) awake
- أَيْقَظَ (ʔayqaẓa)to awaken (someone else)
Basque esnatu, iratzarri
- esnatuto (become) awake
- iratzarrito (become) awake
- esnatuto awaken (someone else)
- esnatuto become more aware of a real-life situation.
Bengali জাগা, জাগানো
- জাগা (jaga)to (become) awake
- জাগানো (jaganō)to awaken (someone else)
Bulgarian събу́ждам се, пробу́ждам
- събу́ждам се (săbúždam se)to (become) awake
- пробу́ждам (probúždam)to awaken (someone else)
- пробу́дя (probúdja)to awaken (someone else)
- бу́дя (búdja)to awaken (someone else)
Catalan despertar-se, despertar
- despertar-seto (become) awake
- despertarto awaken (someone else)
Chinese Mandarin 醒, 醒來 /醒来
- 醒 (xǐng)to (become) awake
- 醒來 /醒来 (xǐnglái)to (become) awake
- 喚醒 /唤醒 (huànxǐng)to awaken (someone else)
- 叫醒 (jiàoxǐng)to awaken (someone else)
Czech budit se, vzbudit se
- budit seto (become) awake
- vzbudit seto (become) awake
- probudit seto (become) awake
- buditto awaken (someone else)
- vzbuditto awaken (someone else)
- probuditto awaken (someone else)
Danish vågn op, vågne
- vågn opto (become) awake
- vågneto (become) awake
- vækketo awaken (someone else)
Dutch wakker worden, ontwaken
- wakker wordento (become) awake
- ontwakento (become) awake
- wakker makento awaken (someone else)
- wekkento awaken (someone else)
- wakker wordento become more aware of a real-life situation.
- ontwakento become more aware of a real-life situation.
Esperanto vekiĝi, veki
- vekiĝito (become) awake
- vekito awaken (someone else)
Estonian ärkama, äratama
- ärkamato (become) awake
- äratamato awaken (someone else)
Finnish herätä, herättää
- herätäto (become) awake
- herättääto awaken (someone else)
- herätäto become more aware of a real-life situation.
French se réveiller, réveiller
- se réveillerto (become) awake
- réveillerto awaken (someone else)
German aufwachen, erwachen
- aufwachento (become) awake
- erwachento (become) awake
- wach werdento (become) awake
- aufweckento awaken (someone else)
- weckento awaken (someone else)
- wach machento awaken (someone else)
- aufwachento become more aware of a real-life situation.
- wach werdento become more aware of a real-life situation.
- sich bewusst werdento become more aware of a real-life situation.
Greek ξυπνάω
- ξυπνάω (xypnáo)to (become) awake
Hawaiian hoʻāla
- hoʻālato (become) awake
Hebrew התעורר, העיר
- התעורר (hit'orér)to (become) awake
- העיר (he'ír)to awaken (someone else)
- התעורר (hit'orér)to become more aware of a real-life situation.
Hindi जागना, जगाना
- जागना (jāgnā)to (become) awake
- जगाना (jagānā)to awaken (someone else)
Hungarian felébred, felébreszt
- felébredto (become) awake
- felébresztto awaken (someone else)
- felkeltto awaken (someone else)
- ráébredto become more aware of a real-life situation.
- észbe kapto become more aware of a real-life situation.
- ráeszmélto become more aware of a real-life situation.
- felfigyelto become more aware of a real-life situation.
Icelandic vakna, vekja
- vaknato (become) awake
- vekjato awaken (someone else)
Indonesian bangun, membangunkan
- bangunto (become) awake
- membangunkanto (become) awake
- bangunkanto awaken (someone else)
Irish dúisigh, múscail
- dúisighto (become) awake
- múscailto (become) awake
- dúisighto awaken (someone else)
Italian svegliarsi, svegliare
- svegliarsito (become) awake
- svegliareto awaken (someone else)
Japanese 目覚める, 目を覚ます
- 目覚める (mezameru)to (become) awake
- 目を覚ます (me o samasu)to (become) awake
- 覚める (sameru)to (become) awake
- 起きる (okiru)to (become) awake
- 目覚めさせる (mezamesaseru)to awaken (someone else)
- 起こす (okosu)to awaken (someone else)
Korean 눈뜨다, 일어나다
- 눈뜨다 (nuntteuda)to (become) awake
- 일어나다 (ireonada)to (become) awake
- 깨우다 (kkae'uda)to awaken (someone else)
Latin expergiscor, evigilo
- expergiscorto (become) awake
- evigiloto (become) awake
- exsuscitoto (become) awake
- expergōto awaken (someone else)
- excitōto awaken (someone else)
- expergiscorto awaken (someone else)
Latvian pamosties, atmosties
- pamostiesto (become) awake
- atmostiesto (become) awake
- pamodinātto awaken (someone else)
- atmodinātto awaken (someone else)
Malay bangun
- bangunto (become) awake
Norwegian våkne
- våkneto (become) awake
Norwegian Bokmål stå opp
- stå oppto (become) awake
Persian بیدار شدن
- بیدار شدن (bidâr šodan)to (become) awake
Polish obudzić się, budzić
- obudzić sięto (become) awake
- budzićto awaken (someone else)
- obudzićto awaken (someone else)
Portuguese acordar, despertar
- acordarto (become) awake
- despertarto (become) awake
- acordarto awaken (someone else)
- despertarto awaken (someone else)
- despertarto become more aware of a real-life situation.
Punjabi ਜਾਗਣਾ
- ਜਾਗਣਾ (jāgṇā)to (become) awake
Romanian se trezi, se scula
- se trezito (become) awake
- se sculato (become) awake
- se deșteptato (become) awake
- deșteptato awaken (someone else)
- sculato awaken (someone else)
- trezito awaken (someone else)
- trezito become more aware of a real-life situation.
Russian просыпа́ться, просну́ться
- просыпа́ться (prosypátʹsja)to (become) awake
- просну́ться (prosnútʹsja)to (become) awake
- пробужда́ться (probuždátʹsja)to (become) awake
- пробуди́ться (probudítʹsja)to (become) awake
- буди́ть (budítʹ)to awaken (someone else)
- разбуди́ть (razbudítʹ)to awaken (someone else)
- пробужда́ть (probuždátʹ)to awaken (someone else)
- пробуди́ть (probudítʹ)to awaken (someone else)
Slovak budiť sa, vzbudiť sa
- budiť sato (become) awake
- vzbudiť sato (become) awake
- prebudiť sato (become) awake
- budiťto awaken (someone else)
- vzbudiťto awaken (someone else)
- prebudiťto awaken (someone else)
Spanish despertarse, recordar
- despertarseto (become) awake
- recordarto (become) awake
- despertarto (become) awake
- despertarto awaken (someone else)
- despertarto become more aware of a real-life situation.
- espabilarto become more aware of a real-life situation.
- espabilarseto become more aware of a real-life situation.
Swedish vakna, väcka
- vaknato (become) awake
- väckato awaken (someone else)
Tagalog gising
- gisingto (become) awake
Tamil விழி, எழுந்திரு
- விழி (viḻi)to (become) awake
- எழுந்திரு (eḻuntiru)to (become) awake
- எழுப்பு (eḻuppu)to awaken (someone else)
- விழி (viḻi)to become more aware of a real-life situation.
Thai ตื่น, ตื่นนอน
- ตื่น (dtʉ̀ʉn)to (become) awake
- ตื่นนอน (dtʉ̀ʉn-nɔɔn)to (become) awake
- ปลุก (bplùk)to awaken (someone else)
Turkish uyanmak, uyandırmak
- uyanmakto (become) awake
- uyandırmakto awaken (someone else)
Ukrainian прокида́тися, проки́нутися
- прокида́тися (prokydátysja)to (become) awake
- проки́нутися (prokýnutysja)to (become) awake
- пробу́джуватися (probúdžuvatysja)to (become) awake
- пробуди́тися (probudýtysja)to (become) awake
- просипа́тися (prosypátysja)to (become) awake
- просну́тися (prosnútysja)to (become) awake
- буди́ти (budýty)to awaken (someone else)
- пробу́джувати (probúdžuvaty)to awaken (someone else)
- розбу́джувати (rozbúdžuvaty)to awaken (someone else)
- пробуди́ти (probudýty)to awaken (someone else)
- розбуди́ти (rozbudýty)to awaken (someone else)
Urdu جاگنا
- جاگنا (jāgnā)to (become) awake
Vietnamese thức dậy, dậy lên
- thức dậyto (become) awake
- dậy lênto (become) awake
- dậyto (become) awake
- thứcto (become) awake
- đánh thứcto awaken (someone else)
Yiddish אויפֿוועקן
- אויפֿוועקן (oyfvekn)to (become) awake
Cite this entry
APA
wake up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wake%20up
MLA
“wake up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wake%20up. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wake up,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wake%20up.
Source: wake up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.