awaken
v. B1 Intermediate US //əˈweɪkən// UK //ɐwˈeɪkən// awak·en
v. to stop sleeping and become aware of your surroundings. You use this when you wake up naturally or are woken by something.
v. to emerge from sleep; to become conscious. Often used intransitively, but can be transitive when an external stimulus causes the waking.
The loud noise will awaken you from your nap.
She prefers to awaken naturally rather than rely on a loud alarm clock.
The sudden realization of his mistake served to awaken him to the harsh realities of the business world.
From Middle English awakenen or awaknen, from Old English awæcnan or awæcnian, from a- plus wæcnan or wæcnian.
Usage
The verb is transitive when an agent causes the waking; intransitive when the subject wakes on their own.