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

Sources close to production say that production continued in the wake of the incident and Stark has since returned to work. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026

In 2018, in the wake of the allegations against Nassar, scrutiny from Congress led to the passage of a law known as the Safe Sport Act. — Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2026

That was evident last season when Del Mastro was recalled from Rockford weeks before Korchinski in the wake of injuries to Artyom Levshunov and Matt Grzelcyk. — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Researchers greeted the deluge of AI proofs with the mixture of alarm and curiosity that has become familiar in the wake of recent advances. — Quanta Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for in the wake of

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove
• hereinabove