awake

Irregular
Infinitive
awake
Past Simple
awoke
Past Participle
awoken
-ing Form
awaking
3rd Person
awakes
awake awakes awaking awoke

Awake means to stop sleeping or to cause someone to stop sleeping. It can be used as both a verb and an adjective, and is slightly more literary than "wake up".

Meanings

  • To stop sleeping; to wake up
  • To cause someone to stop sleeping
  • To become aware of something (figurative)

Common Collocations

wide awake stay awake lie awake keep someone awake awake to the fact

Tip for Learners

Awake and wake are often interchangeable, but awake is more formal. As an adjective, only awake works: "I am awake" (not "I am wake"). Past forms: awoke/awaked - awoken/awaked.
Present Simple
I awake
you awake
he/she/it awakes
we awake
they awake
Examples - Present Simple
  • I awake to the sound of birds every morning.
  • You awake from a dream and can't remember it.
  • He awakes at the same time every day without an alarm.
  • A new feeling awakes within her.
  • We awake to a world full of possibilities.
  • You (plural) awake from your slumber.
Present Continuous
I am awaking
you are awaking
he/she/it is awaking
we are awaking
they are awaking
Examples - Present Continuous
  • I am awaking from a deep sleep.
  • You are awaking to the truth of the matter.
  • He is awaking to the danger he is in.
  • My long-dormant creativity is awaking.
  • We are awaking from our collective ignorance.
  • You (plural) are awaking to a new reality.
Present Perfect
I have awoken
you have awoken
he/she/it has awoken
we have awoken
they have awoken
Examples - Present Perfect
  • I have awoken to a beautiful, sunny day.
  • You have awoken the sleeping giant.
  • He has awoken from his coma.
  • A new sense of purpose has awoken in her.
  • We have awoken to the challenges that lie ahead.
  • You (plural) have awoken from a bad dream.
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been awaking
you have been awaking
he/she/it has been awaking
we have been awaking
they have been awaking
Examples - Present Perfect Continuous
  • I have been awaking in cold sweats every night since the car accident on Route 9.
  • You have been awaking before your alarm all week, which your sleep coach sees as real progress.
  • The nation has been awaking to the scale of the opioid crisis only in these past few weeks.
  • We have been awaking to thunderstorms every morning this August at the lake house.
  • Institutional investors have been awaking to the risks in commercial real estate since the first regional bank failed.
Past Simple
I awoke
you awoke
he/she/it awoke
we awoke
they awoke
Examples - Past Simple
  • I awoke in the middle of the night to a strange noise.
  • You awoke to find that it was all a dream.
  • He awoke from the surgery feeling groggy.
  • The city awoke to a blanket of snow.
  • We awoke early to watch the sunrise.
  • You (plural) awoke to the sound of the alarm.
Past Continuous
I was awaking
you were awaking
he/she/it was awaking
we were awaking
they were awaking
Examples - Past Continuous
  • I was awaking from a nap when you knocked on the door.
  • You were awaking from a long sleep.
  • He was awaking to the sounds of the city.
  • A new feeling was awaking inside him.
  • We were awaking to a new day.
  • You (plural) were awaking from your dream.
Past Perfect
I had awoken
you had awoken
he/she/it had awoken
we had awoken
they had awoken
Examples - Past Perfect
  • I had awoken just moments before the alarm clock went off.
  • You had awoken the baby with your loud talking.
  • He had awoken from a nightmare.
  • She had awoken to a new sense of hope.
  • We had awoken before the sun rose.
  • You (plural) had awoken from your trance.
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been awaking
you had been awaking
he/she/it had been awaking
we had been awaking
they had been awaking
Examples - Past Perfect Continuous
  • I had been awaking at three a.m. for weeks before the new prescription finally helped me sleep.
  • You had been awaking with migraines every Sunday until your neurologist told you to cut out red wine.
  • The patient had been awaking confused several times a night before the grand mal seizure occurred.
  • We had been awaking to birdsong at the cabin until the logging crew arrived in late June.
  • The public had been awaking to the corruption scandal only gradually when the federal indictment dropped.
Future Simple
I will awake
you will awake
he/she/it will awake
we will awake
they will awake
Examples - Future Simple
  • I will awake at dawn.
  • You will awake to find breakfast ready.
  • He will awake from his sleep.
  • A new leader will awake from the people.
  • We will awake in a new country tomorrow.
  • You (plural) will awake to the sound of the ocean.
Future Continuous
I will be awaking
you will be awaking
he/she/it will be awaking
we will be awaking
they will be awaking
Examples - Future Continuous
  • I will be awaking at four-thirty tomorrow to beat rush hour to Heathrow.
  • You will be awaking to a houseful of cousins and aunts on Christmas morning in Vermont.
  • The hiker will be awaking to a view of Mont Blanc from the Cosmiques refuge window.
  • We will be awaking on Santorini after sixteen exhausting hours of connecting flights.
  • The premature twins will be awaking every two hours for nursing throughout the entire first month.
Future Perfect
I will have awoken
you will have awoken
he/she/it will have awoken
we will have awoken
they will have awoken
Examples - Future Perfect
  • I will have awoken by the time you call.
  • You will have awoken the entire house with your noise.
  • He will have awoken from his long slumber.
  • The beast will have awoken.
  • We will have awoken to the truth.
  • You (plural) will have awoken from your dream.
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been awaking
you will have been awaking
he/she/it will have been awaking
we will have been awaking
they will have been awaking
Examples - Future Perfect Continuous
  • By the sleep study's end, I will have been awaking hourly for three straight nights in the lab.
  • By the time the colic finally passes, you will have been awaking with the baby every two hours for twelve weeks.
  • By dawn, the sentry will have been awaking to every noise outside the tent all night long.
  • By the trip's end, we will have been awaking in a different time zone for ten consecutive days.
  • By opening weekend, the film crew will have been awaking at four a.m. for the entire three-month shoot.
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