wake

2
[ weyk ]
/ weɪk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR wake ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the track of waves left by a ship or other object moving through the water: The wake of the boat glowed in the darkness.
the path or course of anything that has passed or preceded: The tornado left ruin in its wake.

Idioms for wake

    in the wake of,
    1. as a result of: An investigation followed in the wake of the scandal.
    2. succeeding; following: in the wake of the pioneers.

Origin of wake

2
1540–50; < Middle Low German, Dutch wake, or Old Norse vǫk hole in the ice

Words nearby wake

waka, wakamatsu, wakame, wakashan, wakayama, wake, wake island, wake-robin, wake-up, wake-up call, wakeboarding

Words related to in the wake of

backward, subsequent, coming, ensuing, successive, consecutive, succeeding, behind, rearward, posterior, tail, hind, following, final, rear, postern, hinder, then, latter, pursuing

British Dictionary definitions for in the wake of (1 of 2)

wake 1
/ (weɪk) /

verb wakes, waking, woke or woken

noun

Derived forms of wake

waker, noun

Word Origin for wake

Old English wacian; related to Old Frisian wakia, Old High German wahtēn

usage for wake

Where there is an object and the sense is the literal one wake ( up) and waken are the commonest forms: I wakened him; I woke him ( up). Both verbs are also commonly used without an object: I woke up . Awake and awaken are preferred to other forms of wake where the sense is a figurative one: he awoke to the danger

British Dictionary definitions for in the wake of (2 of 2)

wake 2
/ (weɪk) /

noun

the waves or track left by a vessel or other object moving through water
the track or path left by anything that has passed wrecked houses in the wake of the hurricane

Word Origin for wake

C16: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse vaka, vök hole cut in ice, Swedish vak, Danish vaage; perhaps related to Old Norse vökr, Middle Dutch wak wet

Cultural definitions for in the wake of

wake

A funeral celebration, common in Ireland, at which the participants stay awake all night keeping watch over the body of the dead person before burial. A wake traditionally involves a good deal of feasting and drinking.

Idioms and Phrases with in the wake of (1 of 2)

in the wake of
1

Following directly on, as in In the wake of the procession, a number of small children came skipping down the aisle. This usage alludes to the waves made behind a passing vessel. [c. 1800]

2

In the aftermath of, as a consequence of, as in Famine often comes in the wake of war. [Mid-1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with in the wake of (2 of 2)

wake