wake¹ /weɪk/ v woke /wəʊk/ or waked, woken /ˈwæʊkən/ or waked 1 [I;T(UP)]. to (cause to) stop sleeping: She usually wakes (up) early. | I woke up with a start when the alarm rang. | Wake up, Jimmy, it's 7.00. | The children's shouts woke us out of/from our afternoon nap. | (fig.) The bad news finally woke the country to (=made it become conscious of) the danger of war. | (fig.) The argument woke old rivalries. 2 wake up and smell the coffee AmE spoken used in order to tell someone that they have to deal with a situation instead of not thinking about it, even though it may be unpleasant or difficult: I think the people who fight sex education in our schools need to wake up and smell the coffee. Safe sex is not just about not getting pregnant – now it's a matter of life and death. | We have to wake up and smell the coffee. If we don't like the way the company's moving, we have to change things.
Compare wake (up), waken (up), awake and awaken. The usual patterns are: / woke (up) [l], / woke him (up) [T], / awoke [l], / wakened him up [T] and / awakened him [T], but all of these verbs can be used in both intransitive and transitive patterns. The most common and least formal is probably wake up/wake someone up.
wake up phr v [I usually imperative] infml to start to pay attention: Wake up at the back there!
wake $ ^{2} $ n 1 a track left by a ship in water  $ \rightarrow $ compare WASH 2 in the wake of: a) close behind and in the same path of travel as: The car left clouds of dust in its wake. b) as a result of: Hunger and disease followed in the wake of the war.
wake $ ^{3} $ n a gathering to watch and grieve over a dead person on the night before the burial, sometimes with drink and special food, especially in Ireland, northern parts of Britain, and in the US among Catholics
wake·ful /'weikfəl/ adj not sleeping or in which one cannot sleep; sleepless: a wakeful baby/night —ly adv —ness n [U]
wak·en /'weɪkən/ v [l;T(UP)] fml to (cause to) wake: We were wakened by a loud noise. → see WAKE (USAGE)
wakes week a holiday week for factory and office workers in the north of England, when the whole business closed down for a period. The arrangement has been stopped, but the times of these holidays, which varied from town to town, are often still called by this name.
wake-up, call n 1 an experience or event that shocks you and makes you realize that you must do something to change a situation: The success of extremist groups in the elections should be a wake-up call to all decent citizens. 2 a telephone call that someone makes to you, especially at a hotel, to wake you up in the morning
wak·ey wak·ey /,weiki 'weiki/ interj BrE infml humor wake up! wak·ing /'weikin/ adj [A] of the time when one is awake: He spends all his waking hours working. | a waking dream
Wal-den Pond /,wɔldən 'pondl-'pɔnd/ a small lake in Massachusetts in the US near the place where Henry David THOREAU lived and after which he named his book Walden, or Life in the Woods
Wald-heim, Kurt /'vɑːldhaɪmɪl'wɔːld-, kɜːtˈkɜːrt/ (1918-) an Austrian politician who was the Secretary-General of the UN from 1972 to 1981, and the President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. Some people believed that he had taken part in Nazi WAR CRIMES during World War II, but it was decided officially that he was not guilty of this.
Wal·dorf-As·to·ri·a, the /,wɔ:ldɔ:f z'stɔ:riəll-dɔ:rf-/ a large, expensive hotel in New York City
Waldorf Sal-ad /,wɔ:ldɔ:f 'sælədəl-dɔ:rf-/ n [C;U] a type of SALAD made from apples, CELERY, nuts, and MAYONNAISE
Wales /weɪlz/ a country in the United Kingdom, west of England, which was an independent country until it was brought under English rule in 1284. Population: 2,903,085 (2001). Capital: Cardiff. The country's Welsh name is Cymru. Wales is known for its high mountains, including SNOWDON, and it is a popular place for tourists to visit. Traditionally, its main industries were farming, especially sheep farming and, in South Wales, COAL MINING (=getting coal out of the earth). The mines have now all closed, but new industries are being developed, especially making electronic products. The Welsh language is spoken by many people, especially in the north. The Welsh Assembly was established in 1999 in order to give the Welsh people more power to govern themselves while still being part of the UK. Some people, including the political party PLAID CYMRU, want Wales to be an independent country. Welsh people are thought to be good singers, and Wales is known for its MALE VOICE CHOIRS. The national SYMBOLs of Wales are the LEEK (=a vegetable with a long white stem and long flat green leaves), the DAFFODIL (=a tall yellow spring flower), and the red DRAGON. The PATRON SAINT is Saint DAVID.
Wales, the Prince of → see PRINCE OF WALES
Wa-les-a, Lech /və'wensəlvə'lensa, wə-, lek, lex/ (1943-) the President of Poland from 1990 to 1995. He was leader of the TRADE UNION Solidarity during the 1980s and became popular in western countries for his opposition to Poland's Communist government. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.
'Wales, Office, the a government department that was established in July 1999 when most of the powers of the Welsh Office were given to the Welsh Assembly. The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office and is responsible for making sure that the interests of Wales are represented when the government in Westminster makes decisions.
walk¹ /wɔːk/ v 1 [l] to move along on foot in a natural way, in such a way that one foot is always touching the ground: Walk, don't run. | We must have walked ten miles today. | Walking is a good form of exercise. | The old lady walked slowly round the garden. | He walked along the edge of the cliff. | I walked up to him and held out my hand. 2 [T] to pass over, through, or along on foot: She'd walked the streets all night looking for somewhere to stay. | He does a circus act, walking the tightrope. | How far is the station; can I walk it (=is the distance short enough to walk) or shall I call a taxi? 3 [T+ob]+adv/prep] to go on foot with (someone) to a stated place: I'll walk you home/to the bus stop. 4 [T] to take (an animal) for a walk; exercise: He's walking the dog. 5 [l] (of a spirit) to move about in a form that can be seen 6 [T+obj]+adv/prep] to cause to move in a manner suggesting a walk: Let's walk the heaviest ladder to the other end of the room. 7 [l;T] (in BASEBALL) to be allowed to go to the first of four points (BASES¹) because the PITCHER has thrown four balls outside the area he is aiming at: The pitcher was taken out of the game after walking four batters in a row. | Garvey walked to first base. 8 walk on air infml to be extremely happy: 'Is he pleased?' 'Yes – he's walking on air!' 9 walk someone off their feet/legs infml to tire someone by making them walk too much 10 walk tall infml to feel very confident; be justly proud of oneself 11 walk the plank to be forced, especially by PIRATES in former times, to walk along a – board laid over the side of a ship until one falls off into the sea
walk away from sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] 1 to come out of (an accident) unhurt or almost unhurt 2 AmE infml to run faster than or defeat without difficulty: My horse just walked away from all the others in the race. → see also WALKAWAY, WALK OFF WITH
walk into sthg. phr v [T] 1 to get caught by (something) through carelessness: He walked right into our trap. 2 to obtain (a job) very easily
walk off/away with sthg. phr v [T] infmi 1 to steal and take away 2 to win easily: He walked off with first prize.
walk out phr v [l(of)] 1 to leave suddenly, especially as an expression of disapproval 2 to go on STRIKE → see also WALKOUT
walk out on sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] infml to leave suddenly, especially in a time of trouble; desert: He just walked out on his wife and family without saying a word!
walk over sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] infml 1 to treat badly: Don't let your husband walk (all) over you like that; stand up to him! 2 to win without difficulty against: Our team just walked over the opposition. → see also WALKOVER
walk sthg. through phr v [T] to practise (e.g. a part in a play) before the performance; REHEARSE: Let's walk through this scene and see how long it takes. \ I'd like to walk through this evacuation procedure with you before I do it on my own. → see also WALK-THROUGH