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
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The orders were later reduced to warnings, and the last of the warnings was lifted about 8:30 p.m. Sunday.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2025
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If passed into law, the bill would require warnings on the ATMs before the user could do a transaction.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Missing the preparation mark Another red flag: walking in unprepared.—
Julia Korn,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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However, Snow began noticing a few red flags right off the bat.—
Meredith Wilshere,
People.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
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Witnesses said that Pelkey was at a red light when Horcasitas pulled up behind him in a Volkswagen.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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On the topic of disparities, Barone said over the last 10 years the numbers show when police use the traffic laws to focus on violations that are killing people like speeding, following too closely, running stop signs or red lights there is little disparity in the data.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Kayla gets back to their office to find that the official sign came in, and Jimmy put her name first.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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Tremors can be a sign of MS, Parkinson's disease, stroke, or another neurological condition.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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