wake up

2 meanings

Meanings
  1. 1 stop sleeping, or make someone stop sleeping A2
  2. 2 start to notice or understand a problem you had been ignoring B2
1 wake (sb) up

stop sleeping, or make someone stop sleeping

A2

What does "wake up" mean in this sense?

To wake up means to stop sleeping and become conscious — the moment your mind and body return to an awake state. You can use it to describe yourself waking naturally, or to describe causing someone else to wake. For example, an alarm clock, a noise, or another person can all wake someone up. It works in both directions: 'I woke up at seven' (it happened by itself) and 'The dog woke me up' (something caused it). This is the most common and natural way to talk about coming out of sleep in English — you can use it in any situation, from chatting with friends to writing an email.

Examples

How to use it

wake up (no object)

Use this when talking about yourself or someone else becoming conscious, with no mention of a cause.

She woke up at 7 a.m. feeling completely refreshed.

wake + object + up

Use this when a person or thing causes someone to stop sleeping — the object goes between 'wake' and 'up'.

The loud music woke the baby up in the middle of the night.

wake + pronoun + up

When the object is a pronoun (me, him, her, them, us), it must always go between 'wake' and 'up'.

My alarm woke me up before sunrise.

be woken up by + cause

Use this passive form when you want to focus on the person who was woken and mention what caused it.

He was woken up by a neighbour's car alarm at 3 in the morning.

wake up + time / manner expression

It is very common to add a time (early, at six, late) or a manner phrase (suddenly, feeling tired) right after 'wake up'.

I woke up suddenly and couldn't get back to sleep.

Common Collocations

wake up early/latewake up in the middle of the nightwake up feeling tired/refreshedwake up at (a time)wake up suddenlywake the baby up

Common Mistakes

Pronoun in the wrong place

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'wake' and 'up' — never after 'up'. This rule is always followed by native speakers.

✗ Please don't wake up me — I need more sleep.
✓ Please don't wake me up — I need more sleep.
Using 'waked up' instead of 'woke up'

'Wake' is an irregular verb, so the past tense is 'woke up', not 'waked up'. 'Waked up' sounds wrong to native speakers.

✗ I waked up late and missed breakfast.
✓ I woke up late and missed breakfast.
Confusing 'wake up' with 'get up'

'Wake up' is the moment you become conscious after sleeping. 'Get up' means physically leaving your bed. You can wake up and still stay in bed — the two things do not always happen at the same time.

✗ I woke up and had breakfast. (when you mean you left your bed, got dressed, and then ate)
✓ I got up and had breakfast. (leaving bed) / I woke up at seven but didn't get up until eight. (both actions shown clearly)

Usage

Completely neutral and used in all situations — it is the standard English way to talk about becoming conscious after sleep. Note the irregular past forms: wake → woke → woken ('waked up' is non-standard and should be avoided).

2 wake up to sth

start to notice or understand a problem you had been ignoring

B2

Sense 2: What does "wake up to sth" mean?

To wake up to something means to suddenly or gradually realise that a problem, risk, or unpleasant reality exists — one that you had previously ignored or failed to notice. The focus is on that moment of recognition, often after a long period of being unaware or in denial. This phrasal verb is commonly used to criticise individuals, organisations, or governments for being slow to acknowledge something serious. It frequently carries a tone of frustration or urgency, as if the speaker is saying 'this should have been obvious much sooner'. You'll encounter it often in news articles, political speeches, and opinion writing, as well as in everyday conversation when people feel strongly about an issue.

Examples

How to use it

wake up to + noun phrase

The most common pattern — 'to' introduces the problem, threat, or reality being recognised.

The industry needs to wake up to the dangers of ignoring data privacy.

wake up to the fact that + clause

Use this pattern when you want to spell out exactly what has been realised, giving a full explanation after 'that'.

Voters are finally waking up to the fact that these policies aren't working.

modal + wake up to + noun phrase

Modal verbs of necessity (must, need to, have to, ought to) are very natural with this phrasal verb because of the urgent, critical tone it carries.

Businesses must wake up to the scale of the environmental crisis.

have/has + woken up to + noun phrase

The present perfect is common when describing a realisation that has recently occurred, often with 'finally' to suggest it took too long.

The committee has finally woken up to the risks of the new regulation.

wake up (standalone)

The 'to' phrase can be dropped when the context makes the issue clear, especially in direct or rhetorical speech.

This has been a problem for years — when is the government going to wake up?

Common Collocations

wake up to the realitywake up to the threatwake up to the fact thatwake up to the dangerswake up to the truthwake up to the situation

Common Mistakes

Wrong or missing preposition

The correct preposition is always 'to'. Learners sometimes use 'about', 'for', or 'of', or leave the preposition out entirely — all of which sound unnatural.

✗ We need to wake up about the consequences of this decision.
✓ We need to wake up to the consequences of this decision.
Confusing this sense with the sleep sense

This sense of 'wake up' is about becoming aware of a problem, not about ending sleep. A key signal is the word 'to' followed by an abstract noun like a threat, risk, or reality. Without that 'to' phrase, listeners may interpret it as the sleep sense.

✗ She woke up climate change after reading the report.
✓ She woke up to climate change after reading the report.
Confusing 'wake up to' with 'face up to'

'Wake up to' is about recognising a problem for the first time — the moment of realisation. 'Face up to' means accepting and dealing with something you are already aware of. They are not interchangeable.

✗ He finally woke up to his fear of failure and started therapy.
✓ He finally faced up to his fear of failure and started therapy.

Usage

This sense is neutral in register and works in both speech and writing, but it often carries a tone of criticism or urgency. It is especially common in journalism and political commentary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the past tense of 'wake up'?

The past tense is 'woke up' — for example, 'I woke up early this morning.' The past participle is 'woken up', used in sentences like 'I have woken up late every day this week.' Never use 'waked up' — it is not standard English.

Can I say 'wake up the baby' or does it have to be 'wake the baby up'?

Both are correct and natural. You can say 'wake up the baby' or 'wake the baby up' — either order works fine with a noun. However, if you use a pronoun, the order is fixed: you must say 'wake her up', not 'wake up her'.

Does 'wake up' always have to do with sleeping?

In this sense, yes — 'wake up' here is specifically about becoming conscious after sleep. There is also a figurative meaning (for example, 'wake up to a problem'), but that is a different use. If your sentence is about sleep, alarms, or mornings, you are using the right sense.

What are some natural things to say after 'wake up'?

It is very common to add a time, like 'wake up at six' or 'wake up early', or a feeling, like 'wake up feeling tired' or 'wake up feeling great'. You can also say 'wake up suddenly' or 'wake up in the middle of the night'. These combinations sound very natural in everyday English.

Can 'wake up to' be used in the present continuous, like 'people are waking up to'?

Yes, but only when describing a gradual, ongoing process of awareness spreading across a group. 'People are waking up to the risks' sounds natural because it describes a collective shift happening over time. Using it for a single person's sudden realisation in the continuous form sounds awkward — the past simple or present perfect is better in those cases.

Does 'wake up to' always have a critical or negative tone?

It almost always carries a sense of criticism or urgency, implying that the awareness came too late or should have happened sooner. Even when the tone isn't angry, there's usually an underlying message that someone has been slow or negligent. It's rarely used to describe positive or neutral realisations.

Can I use 'wake up to it' instead of repeating the noun?

Yes, but only when the context has already made it clear what 'it' refers to. For example, if you've just mentioned a specific problem, you can say 'they really need to wake up to it.' Without that prior context, 'it' would be confusing, so it's safer to name the issue explicitly.

Is 'wake up to' more common in speech or writing?

It works naturally in both. In writing, it appears frequently in journalism, opinion pieces, and political commentary. In speech, it's common when someone is expressing frustration or calling for action. The standalone form — just 'wake up!' — tends to be more spoken and rhetorical.

What kinds of things can follow 'wake up to'?

It's almost always followed by an abstract noun referring to a threat, risk, or unpleasant reality — things like 'the danger', 'the truth', 'the crisis', or 'the consequences'. You can also use 'the fact that' followed by a full clause when you want to be more specific. Concrete, physical objects don't usually follow this phrasal verb in this sense.

Ready to practise?

Practise 1,000+ English phrasal verbs with interactive gap-fill exercises.

Start Practising →