Definition of "wake-up call" []

• A telephone call that one requests to occur at a specific time in order to be woken up, especially in a hotel. (noun)
• A sign or warning that alerts one to negative or dangerous behavior or circumstances: "Her personal life was spiraling out of control . . . and her brush with death came as a wake-up call” ( Geraldine Fabrikant). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Ron Evans, the capsule communicator for the night shift, made the wake-up call to the LM crew at 9:32 A.M."
• "Her near-death experience on Teneb had been a wake-up call for her to move on with her life, but there were days when she still felt like she was walking through mud."
• "When Tim Belcher criticized his Dodger teammates for run-of-the-mill play and said that Atlanta catching them in the standings might be the wake-up call they needed, Lasorda mocked him: Belcher said that?"