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Definition of awaken verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

awaken

verb
 
/əˈweɪkən/
 
/əˈweɪkən/
(formal)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they awaken
 
/əˈweɪkən/
 
/əˈweɪkən/
he / she / it awakens
 
/əˈweɪkənz/
 
/əˈweɪkənz/
past simple awakened
 
/əˈweɪkənd/
 
/əˈweɪkənd/
past participle awakened
 
/əˈweɪkənd/
 
/əˈweɪkənd/
-ing form awakening
 
/əˈweɪkənɪŋ/
 
/əˈweɪkənɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs
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  1. [intransitive, transitive, often passive] to wake up; to make somebody wake up
    • awaken (somebody) (from/to something) She awakened to the sound of birds singing.
    • awaken to do something We awakened to find the others gone.
    • be awakened He was awakened at dawn by the sound of crying.
    Which Word? awake / awaken / wake up / wakenawake / awaken / wake up / waken
    • Wake (up) is the most common of these verbs. It can mean somebody has finished sleeping: What time do you usually wake up? or that somebody or something has disturbed your sleep: The children woke me up.I was woken (up) by the telephone.
    • The verb awake is usually only used in writing and in the past tense awoke: She awoke to a day of brilliant sunshine. Waken and awaken are much more formal. Awaken is used especially in literature: The Prince awakened Sleeping Beauty with a kiss.
    • Awake is also an adjective: I was awake half the night worrying.Is the baby awake yet? Waking is not used in this way.
    see also asleep, sleep
    Extra Examples
    • She was just awakening from sleep.
    • He was rudely awakened by the sound of drilling.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • early
    • late
    • abruptly
    preposition
    • from
    phrases
    • be rudely awakened
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive, transitive] awaken (something) if an emotion awakens or something awakens an emotion, you start to feel that emotion
    • The dream awakened terrible memories.
    Extra Examples
    • Different images can awaken new emotions within us.
    • By this point, her curiosity was well and truly awakened.
  3. Word OriginOld English onwæcnan, from on ‘on’ + waken.
See awaken in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee awaken in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
trait
noun
 
 
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