as in warning
something that tells of approaching danger or risk
his high blood pressure was a wake-up call that he needed to do something about his health
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Recent Examples of wake-up call
The persistence of that finding should be a wake-up call for employers already battling high turnover and labor shortages.
—
Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023
Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023
Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023
Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wake-up call
Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023
Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023
Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023
Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for wake-up call
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake-up call
Noun
-
Parts of Northern Kentucky are under a severe thunderstorm warning until 8:30 p.m. as well.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
21 July 2025
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Nothing irritates cybersecurity professionals more than blanket warnings about public WiFi, given that most traffic to and from your smartphone is now encrypted.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Noun
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This warning is in effect until Friday at 11 p.m. What is the significance of a red flag warning?—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 July 2025
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So far, there has been one example of an AI model displaying a right-wing bias earning a government contract with no red flags raised about its outputs.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Derrick John Thompson was given consecutive sentences totaling nearly 59 years in prison Thursday for running a red light at more than 100 mph in south Minneapolis and crashing into a sedan, killing five young women.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
25 July 2025
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Then came the white Cadillac, creeping up beside them at a red light just off the Strip.—
Danielle Bacher,
People.com,
4 July 2025
Noun
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Yellow leaves are a sign of several issues that can occur when growing cucumbers, from watering issues to too much sun.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 July 2025
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If the description feels vague, overly broad, or reads like a copy-paste from a generic template, that could be a sign the posting isn’t tied to a real opening.—
Kara Dennison,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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