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Showing results for wake-up call. Search instead for wake-up alarm.
Definitions

wake-up call

NOUN
cautionary tale
Synonyms
WEAK
a few words of wisdom admonition advisory caution light caveat deterrent example enough said event illustrating a hazard forewarning hint lesson message moral omen portent red flag sign of things to come warning word to the wise

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Watching him lose his mind so early was a wake-up call.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

It’s a wake-up call to the art world that the Louvre incident might have spawned a wave of copycat thefts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The “Messy” hitmaker told Rolling Stone in a recent interview that she was grateful that she fainted onstage late last year, and framed the scary ordeal as a wake-up call.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

"We can call it a wake-up call," says Breuer.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The next day, number 5, lunar-landing day, began with the usual wake-up call from Houston, and proceeded swiftly from there.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins