wake-up call

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The “Messy” hitmaker told Rolling Stone in a recent interview that she was grateful that she fainted onstage late last year, and framed the scary ordeal as a wake-up call.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

“The fact that non-fuel import prices increased so much is a wake-up call for policymakers and will keep the Federal Reserve in pause for longer than expected,” said Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Dovile Sakaliene, the former Defence Minister in Vilnius, remembers thinking the parcel plot was a wake-up call for Lithuania's allies.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine called the negative outlook “a sobering wake-up call about the fiscal challenges ahead for us,” noting that it is the city’s first negative outlook since the Covid-19 crisis.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

It seems early for that, but reveille sneaks up faster than Pop's wake-up call of scorched eggs and charred bacon.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool