awaken

/əˈweɪkən/

/əˈweɪkɪn/

Other forms: awakened; awakening; awakens

To awaken someone is to wake them up. You might awaken your roommate accidentally by practicing your tap dance routine in the kitchen.

You can awaken another person, and a noise or the smell of pancakes or a scary dream can all awaken you from a deep sleep. You can also use the verb awaken to describe what happens when you wake from sleep: "I awaken every morning with my pillow on the floor." A more figurative way to awaken is to arouse a certain feeling or awareness. For example, a sad movie can awaken melancholy feelings in the most cheerful person.

Definitions of awaken

1. verb

   cause to become awake or conscious
   synonyms: arouse, rouse, wake, wake up, waken

   antonyms:

   cause to sleep

   make fall asleep

   types:

   reawaken

   awaken once again

   bring around, bring back, bring round, bring to

   return to consciousness

   call

   rouse somebody from sleep with a call

   resuscitate, revive

   cause to regain consciousness

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
2. verb

   make aware
   “They were awakened to the sad facts”

   type of:

   affect, impress, move, strike

   have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
3. verb

   stop sleeping
   synonyms: arouse, awake, come alive, wake, wake up, waken

   type of:

   change state, turn

   undergo a transformation or a change of position or action