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
  • Ultimately, Sweden was granted an exemption from the ban in exchange for stricter warning labels.
    Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
  • 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
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
  • 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
  • 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
Noun
  • These signs include avoiding each other or keeping their distance, swiping, biting, dilated pupils, flattened ears, hissing, litter box guarding, urinating outside of the litter box, territorial aggression, and toy hoarding.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Then, when Mars moved into your sign, emotional layers resurfaced.
    Colin Bedell, Them, 28 Feb. 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 14 Mar. 2025.

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