Word of the Day: Wake
To wake is to end a period of sleep. When this word is used as a verb, it’s almost always followed by the preposition “up.”
- What time do you wake up in the morning?
- Don’t wake him up!
- The baby is starting to wake up.
- Try not to wake her.
- He wakes up at 6:15 every morning.
When the word “wake” is a noun, it has a few meanings that are different from the verb.
1. wake: an area of disturbance created by a boat
- The swimmer got caught up in the wake from a large boat that passed by.
- Waves created by the boat’s wake lapped up against the shoreline.
- This power boat is creating a very visible wake.
2. wake: a period of time or the creation of a situation by a person with power or influence.
- The president of the company left a lot of people high and dry in his wake.
- In the army’s wake, hundreds of civilians were dead or wounded.
3. wake: a vigil or a visit for someone who has died. The word “visitation” is also commonly used for this circumstance.
- Bill had to attend a wake for his uncle who died a few days ago.
- The wake lasted from 6 to 9 p.m.
- Many people were at the wake.
- On the day after the wake, there was a church service and a funeral.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with W page to see the list of all words starting with letter W. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
