wake-up call

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake-up call
Noun
  • Heeding several tornado warnings from the National Weather Service that pinged on their cell phones just after 8:30 a.m., the unnamed couple quickly sought shelter in a safe room in a corner of their home, county officials said.
    Martin E. Comas, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Flood advisory: Be aware: A flood advisory is released when flooding is not expected to reach a severity level necessitating a warning.
    Southern California Weather Report, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • What to Know As of Monday morning, fire weather persists across both states, though the red flag warnings issued over the weekend have expired.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Most of the red flag warnings expired by Sunday morning as winds calmed down.
    Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • During his escape, Conyers ran a red light at Parker Road and Lincoln Avenue and fatally struck pedestrian Jossy Fernando Pinto, 51.
    Max Levy, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Listen to this article Loading your audio article A drunk motorist who ran a red light and killed a pedestrian while driving more than 70 mph through a Brooklyn intersection has been sentenced to three to nine years in prison.
    Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • When the discussion plunges as deep as Gary Mabbutt and Swap Shop, that’s a sure sign that the game is not as enticing as normal.
    Amy Lawrence, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • This follows a year of concerning signs from the region, including intense wildfires and thawing permafrost pumping out planet-heating pollution.
    Laura Paddison, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wake-up call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wake-up%20call. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

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