in the wake of

phrase

1
: close behind and in the same path of travel
… missionaries arrived in the wake of conquistadors and soldiers …—Sabine MacCormack
2
: as a result of : as a consequence of
… power vacuums left in the wake of the Second World War.—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Examples of in the wake of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Deep in the Pyrenees mountains, a young man, Miquel, struggles in the wake of his mother’s death in a snowstorm — a tragic event that was at the center of Tóibín’s 2006 novella, A Long Winter. — Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026 He has been rumored as a possible hire at Giorgio Armani in the wake of the founder’s death one year ago, and mooted for such diverse brands as Kenzo and Calvin Klein, which currently have incumbent creative directors. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026 Akiyama was forced to evacuate his home and give up his farming activities in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026 The recall was largely organized by the Independence Action Committee, one of several grassroots political groups which formed in the wake of the controversial vote. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for in the wake of

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of in the wake of was circa 1547

Rhymes for in the wake of

See All Rhymes for in the wake of

Browse Nearby Words

in the vicinity of
in the wake of
in the way of
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“In the wake of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20wake%20of. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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