English idiom
wake-up call
Register · NeutralNeutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff.
CEFR B1
Example
“Losing the biggest account was a wake-up call to fix reliability.”
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
bad news
CEFR A2an unpleasant piece of information; (informal) a person or thing likely to cause trouble
Informal
red flag
CEFR B1a warning sign that something is wrong
Neutral
the writing on the wall
CEFR B1clear and unmistakable signs that failure or disaster is coming
Neutral
take for granted
CEFR B2to fail to appreciate something or assume it will always be there
Neutral
the calm before the storm
CEFR B2a quiet period immediately before trouble, intense activity, or chaos
Neutral
the last straw
CEFR B2The final small problem that makes a situation no longer tolerable.
Neutral
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.