1
a
: to be or remain awake
b
archaic
: to remain awake on watch especially over a corpse
c
obsolete
: to stay up late in revelry
1
: to stand watch over (someone or something)
especially
: to hold a wake over
waker
noun
1
: the state of being awake
2
a(1)
: an annual English parish festival formerly held in commemoration of the church's patron saint
(2)
b
: the festivities originally connected with the wake of an English parish church
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
c
British
: an annual holiday or vacation
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
3
: a watch held over the body of a dead person prior to burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity
1
: the track left by a moving body (such as a ship) in a fluid (such as water)
broadly
: a track or path left
Phrases
in the wake of
1
: close behind and in the same path of travel
missionaries arrived in the wake of conquistadors and soldiers—
Sabine MacCormack
Sabine MacCormack2
: as a result of : as a consequence of
power vacuums left in the wake of the second world war—A. M. Schlesinger born 1917
A. M. Schlesinger born 1917Synonyms
Examples of wake in a Sentence
Verb
She can never remember her dreams upon waking.
my banging around in the kitchen woke my wife
Recent Examples on the Web
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
But such is sadly not the case with Jing (Hedwig Tam) and her newborn, the latter of whom spends most of her waking moments crying hysterically.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia’s 2022 presidency highlighted the need for equitable recovery and emphasized issues related to global health and green and digital transitions.
—Leslie Vinjamuri, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wake 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Stephen Brigstocke is likely dreaming of his next attempt on Nicholas’s life when a crashing noise wakes him in the middle of the night.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
But such is sadly not the case with Jing (Hedwig Tam) and her newborn, the latter of whom spends most of her waking moments crying hysterically.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
Santa has traditionally been more of a character-actor type of role, although in the wake of The Santa Clause in 1994, actors like Kurt Russell have brought their own star images to the myth.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia’s 2022 presidency highlighted the need for equitable recovery and emphasized issues related to global health and green and digital transitions.
—Leslie Vinjamuri, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wake
Dictionary Entries Near wake
Cite this Entry
“Wake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wake. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wake
2 of 3 noun
: a time before a dead person is buried when people gather to remember him or her and often to view the body
wake
3 of 3 noun1
: a track or path left by a moving body (as a ship) in the water
Etymology
Verb
from Old English wacan "to awake" and Old English wacian "to be awake"
Noun
of Germanic origin
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share