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
-
The warning is in effect until 8:45 p.m. Actions to take when lightning threat is imminent Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 July 2025
-
In South Korea, an early end to monsoon season led to heat wave warnings issued across most of the country this week.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
If a company demands a large payment upfront, that’s a red flag.—
Angie Hicks,
Boston Herald,
12 July 2025
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Skeptics raise red flags Bitcoin's sharp rally has drawn caution from some corners of the market.—
Niket Nishant,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
Studies of bike riders six years ago — before the popularity of e-bikes soared — found that between 25% and 79% of bicyclists in the city do not stop for red lights.—
Steve Cohen,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
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Acknowledging that the previous iteration of the red-light cameras was a controversial issue, most city leaders felt that fatalities and injuries from recent traffic collisions could’ve been avoided had drivers slowed down or not run red lights.—
Shawn Raymundo,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
Jim Lee and Robert Kirkman will hold panels and, in a sign of its growing popularity, there will be a host of anime and manga panels.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 July 2025
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Schneider highlighted that early signs of AI use cases — such as driving corporate headcount reductions and greater sales — have emerged and created a path towards reinvestment into future growth.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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