awake

awake — adjective

1. with your eyes open and your mind working, rather than sleeping.

1.形容詞B1
釋義

with your eyes open and your mind working, rather than sleeping.

例句

Nadia lay awake until three in the morning, listening to the heavy rain.

lie awake (unable to sleep)

The baby is usually awake by six and starts crying for milk.

be awake by [time]

同義詞
  • alert

    stresses being mentally sharp, not just not sleeping

  • conscious

    more clinical; often used after illness or a knock

  • up

    informal; means out of bed and awake

反義詞
  • asleep

    the direct opposite for the sleep meaning

  • drowsy

    halfway between awake and asleep

文法句型

be/stay/lie + awake

用法筆記

Used only after a linking verb such as 'be', 'stay', 'lie', or 'keep' — never directly before a noun. To describe a noun directly, use 'waking' (waking hours) instead.

常見錯誤

I saw an awake child in the room.
I saw a child who was awake in the room.
💡'awake' cannot sit directly before the noun it describes.
I am very awake now.
I am wide awake now.
💡pair 'awake' with 'wide' or 'fully', not with 'very'.

2. noticing something important — for example, a danger or an opportunity — and rea

2.形容詞C1
釋義

noticing something important — for example, a danger or an opportunity — and ready to act on it.

例句

The mayor is finally awake to the housing crisis facing young families in the city.

be awake to + social issue

Investors must stay awake to small changes in the stock market each morning.

stay awake to + risk/change

同義詞
  • aware

    everyday word; 'awake to' is more formal and stresses readiness to act

  • alive to

    very close in meaning; slightly more literary

  • alert to

    stresses watching out for danger

反義詞

文法句型

be awake to + noun

用法筆記

Almost always used in the structure 'be/stay awake to + noun', and the noun is usually a problem, danger, or opportunity. Distinguish from sense 1 (NOT SLEEPING): here the focus is mental awareness, not the state of the eyes.

常見錯誤

She is awake about the new rules.
She is awake to the new rules.
💡the preposition is 'to', never 'about' or 'of'.

awake — verb