Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To wake up.
- intransitive verb To become aware of something.
- intransitive verb To cause to wake up.
- intransitive verb To cause (someone) to become aware; alert or enlighten.
- intransitive verb To stir up or produce (a memory or feeling, for example).
from The Century Dictionary.
- To become awake; cease to sleep; be roused from sleep or a state resembling sleep: as, to
awaken early. - To come into being or action as if from sleep: as, hope awakened in his breast.
- To rouse from sleep or a state resembling sleep; cause to revive from a state of inaction.
- To call into being or action.
- [Awaken is chiefly used in figurative or transferred applications, awake being preferred in the sense of arousing from actual sleep.]
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- verb To rouse from sleep or torpor; to awake; to wake.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To cause to become
awake . - verb transitive To cause to become
conscious . - verb intransitive To stop
sleeping .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb stop sleeping
- verb cause to become awake or conscious
- verb make aware
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Hearing you awaken from the dead, your cat runs screeching.
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I (with sincere optimism and hope) believe that the common sense of your generation and those who went before will be rediscovered and reclaimed as people at large finally awaken from the almost complete slumber that has befallen us for the past 45 years or so.
Living the Slow Life 2008
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Hell, its famous first line, “the most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to awaken from the sleep of ignorance,” is quoted in the Tsinghua Book of Quotations, and being quoted there means that you've entered the canon.
Boing Boing 2007
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I wanted to see the rest of the valley awaken from a sun drunk slumber and move about in its search for food and water, exercise and eventually, bed time.
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They seemed to awaken from a dream, and the moment they were in the train, which fortunately came quite soon, they began to talk.
The House of Arden Edith 1923
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Some inoculates aver that they awaken from the first night's sleep with a dark brown taste in their mouths.
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Sunday_ (alas! what recollections does not the word awaken) -- to brave the reception-room of my prison.
Mysteries of Paris — Volume 02 Eug��ne Sue 1830
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“The Speaker,” the man replied, speaking slowly as if explaining to a child, “is the one charged with interpreting the will of the Computer, that it may guide us all to the Reward where your people can once more awaken from the Great Sleep.
365 tomorrows » 2009 » September : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2009
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Mike Myers stars as a 70’s swinger who has just awaken from a coma, will he find love in the 21st Century, find out this summer with Guruvy Baby!!
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And with your word you will be able to return to the stillness, to the beginning where nothing is, where all of creation returns to silence, but your word will awaken it and you will name the gods and give voice to the trees and you will give nature a tongue to speak for you of the invisible that will again be visible through your word.
MALINCHE Laura Esquivel 2007
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