Wide awake
adjective
Definition
1. Completely awake and not sleepy at all.
2. Fully alert, aware of what is happening, and not easily deceived or tricked.
2. Fully alert, aware of what is happening, and not easily deceived or tricked.
Context Alive
It was three in the morning and the house was completely silent. Despite the late hour, she was still wide awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the job interview the next day. No matter how many times she turned over, sleep just wouldn’t come.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 Completely Awake, Not Sleepy at All (Adjective) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about being fully awake with no trace of sleepiness — your eyes are open, your mind is active, and you couldn’t fall asleep even if you tried. Imagine drinking a strong espresso at ten o’clock at night and then lying in bed at midnight, completely wide awake with your brain buzzing and no chance of sleeping. This is being wide awake — the opposite of drowsy or tired. You might say “I went to bed early but I was still wide awake at two in the morning” or someone could say “the kids are wide awake — there’s no way they’re going to sleep anytime soon.” Or picture a baby who has just had a long nap and is now wide awake at midnight, laughing and playing while the exhausted parents desperately try to get her back to sleep. The phrase suggests total alertness — sleep is nowhere near. ✏️ “Wide” here intensifies “awake” — it means completely, fully, totally. You can’t be “a little bit wide awake” — it’s all or nothing. It’s one of those fixed combinations where “wide” acts as a booster.
Vivid ExampleHe lay in bed wide awake at four in the morning, listening to every tiny sound in the house. The more he tried to relax, the more alert he became. Eventually he gave up and went downstairs to make tea.
2 Fully Alert and Not Easily Deceived (Adjective) Common ▼
This meaning is about being mentally sharp, fully aware of what’s going on around you, and not easy to trick or manipulate. Imagine a seasoned businesswoman walking into a negotiation — she’s wide awake to every tactic the other side tries, spotting their tricks before they even finish their sentences. This is being wide awake — alert, sharp, and impossible to fool. You might say “don’t try to cheat him — he’s wide awake to that kind of thing” or someone could say “she’s wide awake to the risks involved and won’t be caught off guard.” Or think about a parent who is wide awake to the fact that their teenager is lying about where they went last night — they see through the story immediately. The phrase suggests mental sharpness and an awareness that can’t be bypassed. ✏️ “Wide awake to” is the key structure for this meaning — “she’s wide awake to the dangers” means she’s fully aware and prepared. Without “to,” it usually defaults to the literal sleeping meaning.
Vivid ExampleThe new manager was wide awake to the office politics from day one, recognising who was genuine and who was only being friendly to gain favour. She didn’t fall for the flattery or the gossip. Within weeks, everyone realised they couldn’t manipulate her.
Examples from the Street
“I drank coffee too late and now I’m wide awake at midnight — this is going to be a long night.”
The caffeine has made me completely alert and I can’t sleep at all, so I’ll be up for hours
“She’s wide awake to what’s going on — you can’t fool her.”
She’s fully aware of the situation and too sharp to be deceived by anyone
“The baby was wide awake at five in the morning, screaming for attention while we could barely open our eyes.”
The baby was totally alert and energetic at an extremely early hour while we were exhausted
Common Patterns
be/feel wide awake → be completely alert with no sleepiness
still wide awake → continuing to be fully awake when you should be sleeping
wide awake at (time) → fully alert at a specific, usually late or early, hour
keep someone wide awake → prevent someone from sleeping
suddenly wide awake → going from sleepy to fully alert in an instant
wide awake to (something) → fully aware of a danger, trick, or reality
wide awake to the risks/dangers → alert to potential problems
wide awake to what’s going on → fully conscious of the true situation
Collocations
2 collocationswide awake
completely alert and not at all sleepy
wide-awake at 3am
fully alert in the middle of the night
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
She was wide awake at three in the morning, worrying about the presentation she had to give the next day
Sabahın üçünde tamamen uyanık halde ertesi gün yapacağı sunum için endişeleniyordu.
2
The children were still wide awake at ten o’clock despite being put to bed two hours earlier
Çocuklar iki saat önce yatağa konmalarına rağmen saat onda hâlâ sapasağlam uyanıktı.
3
Don’t try to sell him a bad deal — he’s wide awake to every trick in the book
Ona kötü bir anlaşma satmaya çalışma — bilinen her numaranın farkında.
4
One sip of that strong Turkish coffee and I was wide awake for the rest of the evening
O sert Türk kahvesinden bir yudum aldım ve akşamın geri kalanında gözüme uyku girmedi.
5
She’s wide awake to the political games being played behind the scenes and refuses to get involved
Perde arkasında oynanan siyasi oyunların tamamen farkında ve dahil olmayı reddediyor.
6
The noise from the party next door kept me wide awake until well past midnight
Yan dairedeki partinin gürültüsü beni gece yarısını çoktan geçene kadar uyanık tuttu.
7
After years of being cheated by suppliers, the shop owner is now wide awake to any signs of dishonesty
Yıllarca tedarikçiler tarafından aldatıldıktan sonra dükkan sahibi artık her türlü sahtekârlık belirtisine karşı tetikte.
8
I was so nervous about the flight that I lay wide awake the entire night before
Uçuş konusunda o kadar gergindim ki bir önceki gece boyunca gözümü kırpmadan yattım.
9
The security guard was wide awake and spotted the intruder the moment he climbed over the fence
Güvenlik görevlisi tamamen uyanıktı ve davetsiz misafiri çitin üzerinden atladığı an fark etti.
10
A good journalist is always wide awake to the difference between what politicians say and what they actually mean
İyi bir gazeteci, politikacıların söyledikleri ile gerçekte kastettikleri arasındaki farkın her zaman bilincindedir.
Learner Examples
★
Students who drink energy drinks before evening classes might feel wide awake during the lesson, but they often crash afterwards and can’t remember what they learned
Akşam derslerinden önce enerji içeceği içen öğrenciler ders sırasında uyanık hissedebilir, ama sonrasında çökerler ve öğrendiklerini hatırlayamazlar.
★
A good language learner is wide awake to the small differences between similar words, like “say” and “tell,” that many students confuse
İyi bir dil öğrencisi, birçok öğrencinin karıştırdığı “say” ve “tell” gibi benzer kelimeler arasındaki küçük farkların tamamen bilincindedir.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
1 item
Phrasal Verbswake up — become alert or conscious
I usually wake up before my alarm goes off.
Synonyms & Antonyms
7 items
Synonymsalert
fully conscious
fully conscious
completely awake
sharp
mentally alert
attentive
paying attention
Antonymsasleep
not conscious
drowsy
half asleep
sleepy
wanting to sleep