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as in to awake
to cease to be asleep
she usually wakens when sunlight begins to stream through the windows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waken
More than that, there is obvious attraction — Mags has a bisexual side that suddenly wakens from long slumber.
—
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
The dogs were asleep in their kennels at the time and wakened only when the would-be thief was discovered by the staff.
—Anne F. Thurston, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2016
As the world—wakened by the recent terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Beirut, Paris, and now in California and London, too—struggles to defeat the Islamic State (also called ISIS), the answer is more important than ever.
—Jacob Olidort, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2015
Or later consciousness resurfaces in the morning on my return to the wakening world.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2017
Two easy arm swing stretches to waken your shoulders after hours hunched over computers and phones.
—Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 19 May 2020
The startling display of acrobatics came, according to police, on Oct. 19, after homeowners in the 700 block of Pershing Drive in Silver Spring were wakened about 2:15 a.m. by the sound of a door.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2019
Before the Sword, by Grace Lin Mulan crept into her house, even though the Rabbit had told her the villagers would not waken even with the loudest of noises.
—David Canfield, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2019
The homeowner was wakened by the sound of knocking at the front door.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, kansascity, 4 Apr. 2018
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
The dogs were asleep in their kennels at the time and wakened only when the would-be thief was discovered by the staff.
—Anne F. Thurston, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2016
As the world—wakened by the recent terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Beirut, Paris, and now in California and London, too—struggles to defeat the Islamic State (also called ISIS), the answer is more important than ever.
—Jacob Olidort, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2015
Or later consciousness resurfaces in the morning on my return to the wakening world.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2017
Two easy arm swing stretches to waken your shoulders after hours hunched over computers and phones.
—Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 19 May 2020
The startling display of acrobatics came, according to police, on Oct. 19, after homeowners in the 700 block of Pershing Drive in Silver Spring were wakened about 2:15 a.m. by the sound of a door.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2019
Before the Sword, by Grace Lin Mulan crept into her house, even though the Rabbit had told her the villagers would not waken even with the loudest of noises.
—David Canfield, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2019
The homeowner was wakened by the sound of knocking at the front door.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, kansascity, 4 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waken
Verb
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In a post on Reddit, the woman said that her husband, 53, woke her up on her birthday to tell her there was a surprise waiting downstairs.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
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For Harry’s traditional friends, being woke was not a good thing.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
Fox News,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As this debacle of a season somehow keeps getting worse, the Heat awoke Tuesday in a sobering state: losers of eight in a row, 10 games under .500 for the first time in nine years and now 10th in the East, the final spot that qualifies for the NBA play-in tournament.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2025
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Analysts at Wolfe Research believe the popular messaging app is starting to be awoken from its slumber.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The 8-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to … Continue reading Police: 2 boys shot, one fatally in South Shore Chicago Tribune A sleeping Taylor was awakened by a loud noise and found Josiah with a gunshot to the head, according to police.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2025
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At sunrise, the desert awakens with the calls of cactus wrens and the scurrying of jackrabbits while the striking silhouettes of saguaro cacti stretch toward the sky.—
Visit Tucson,
AFAR Media,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Unsurprisingly, Japanese Breakfast received rousing applause at the end of this approximately one-hour show.—
David Chiu,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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The rousing pop number is the trio’s debut release of 2025 and comes ahead of their 20th anniversary celebration, JonasCon.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waken. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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