Wake and wake up are verbs which mean ‘stop sleeping or end someone else’s sleep’. They are used in everyday language.
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I stopped sleeping. | The children were asleep; then I stopped them sleeping. |
Wake up has a similar meaning to wake. It is sometimes used as a stronger form of wake. It can mean ‘stop sleeping’ and ‘make someone feel more awake’:
The noise of the traffic wakes me (up) every morning.
She likes to wake up with a cup of coffee. (It makes her feel more awake.)
We use wake up! as a command:
Wake up! It’s time to get going.
Not: Wake!
The verbs waken, awaken and awake have a similar meaning but are used in more literary contexts, often to refer to emotions or things as well as people:
Cautiously, trying not to waken him, Caroline stepped quietly out of the room.
Different images can awaken new emotions within us.
I awoke next morning to a brilliant pearly light, but when I went to the window, no sea was visible.
