awake
gb/əwˈeɪk/ us/əwˈeɪk/
A2
English
~ 1200
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A2
property
1
Not asleep; conscious
Not sleeping and able to think and see what is happening.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is awake
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'awake' (adjective) with 'wake up' (verb). 'I awake at 7' is rare in modern English; use 'I wake up at 7'.
Synonyms
alert (More about being mentally ready and attentive, not just not sleeping.)
Antonyms
asleep (Describes the opposite state of being in sleep.)
Collocations
stay awake
|wide awake
|fully awake
|keep awake
Themes
daily life
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She was still awake at midnight, reading a book.
- I drink coffee to stay awake during long meetings.
- The baby is finally awake after her nap.
- He lay in bed, wide awake, thinking about the next day.
Learner examples
- I am awake now.
- She is awake and smiling.
- The boy is still awake.
- He stays awake late at night.
Verb
B1
action
2
Stop sleeping; become conscious
To stop sleeping and open your eyes.
Usage pattern:
to awake [someone] / to awake from [sleep/dream]
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse 'awake' as a verb instead of 'wake up', which is more common in modern English conversation.
Synonyms
wake (More common in everyday speech; 'awake' is slightly more formal or literary.)
Antonyms
fall asleep (Describes the action of beginning to sleep, the opposite of waking up.)
Collocations
awake suddenly
|awake refreshed
|awake early
Themes
daily life
|health
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I usually awake at sunrise in the countryside.
- She awoke to the sound of birds singing.
- They awoke feeling refreshed after the long rest.
Learner examples
- I awake at 6 a.m.
- She awoke when the phone rang.
- He awoke early today.
Verb
literary
B2
action
3
Cause someone to stop sleeping
To make someone stop sleeping.
Usage pattern:
to awake [someone] from [sleep/dream]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'awake' (cause) with 'wake up' (intransitive). In casual speech, 'wake up' is preferred for both uses.
Synonyms
awaken ('Awaken' is more common in modern usage than 'awake' for this causative meaning.)
Antonyms
put to sleep (Means to cause someone to start sleeping, opposite of waking them.)
Collocations
awake someone gently
|awake someone suddenly
Themes
daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The noise awoke her from a deep sleep.
- I was awoken by loud knocking at the door.
- He awoke his friend early for the trip.
Learner examples
- The baby was awoken by the storm.
- He awoke me at 7 a.m.
- Loud music awoke her.
Grammar
Dictionary form
awake
IPA
GB/əwˈeɪk/
US/əwˈeɪk/
Syllables & stress
awake (1 syllable)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: awake
Verb
- Base: awake
- 3rd Person Singular: awakes
- Present Participle: awaking
- Past: awoke
- Past Participle: awoken
Word family
Forms
awakes
verb
awaking
verb
awoke
verb
awoken
verb
Related words
awakening
noun B2
wakeful
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
asleep
adjective A1
Advanced or less common
wakefulness
noun
Highlights
- Irregular past: awoke Verb
- Irregular past participle: awoken Verb
Expressions
keep someone awake
1/kˈip sˈʌmwˌʌn əwˈeɪk/
fixed phrase
Prevent someone from sleeping
To stop someone from going to sleep.
Examples
- The loud music kept me awake all night.
- She kept the baby awake too long.
stay awake
1/stˈeɪ əwˈeɪk/
fixed phrase
Remain not sleeping
To not go to sleep and keep your eyes open.
Examples
- I drank coffee to stay awake during the lecture.
- He stayed awake all night to finish his work.
wide awake
1/wˈaɪd əwˈeɪk/
fixed phrase
Fully alert, not sleepy
Completely not sleepy and paying attention.
Examples
- By 5 a.m., she was wide awake.
- The noise made him wide awake instantly.
wide awake
2/wˈaɪd əwˈeɪk/
fixed phrase
Completely awake and alert
To be fully awake and not sleepy at all.
Examples
- I was still wide awake at midnight.
- The noise kept me wide awake all night.