You’ve probably heard it a thousand times during a news broadcast or read it in a somber history book. Something happens "in the wake of" a disaster, a policy change, or a celebrity scandal. It sounds sophisticated. It carries weight. But honestly, most people use it as a lazy synonym for "after," and that's where the trouble starts. If you’re looking for the in the wake of definition, you have to look at the water first.
Language is messy.
The phrase actually comes from seafaring. When a ship cuts through the ocean, it leaves a disturbed path of water behind it—that’s the wake. If you’re a smaller boat following too closely in that wake, you’re going to have a bumpy ride. You are literally in the wake. So, when we use this idiom in daily life, we aren't just talking about a timeline. We are talking about the turbulent aftermath, the consequences, and the lingering effects that a "vessel" (an event) leaves behind as it moves through time.
Decoding the In the Wake Of Definition
Basically, if you want to be precise, you shouldn't use this phrase for just any sequence of events. If I eat a sandwich and then go for a walk, I didn't go for a walk "in the wake of" the sandwich. That sounds ridiculous. Why? Because the sandwich didn't cause a massive upheaval in my life that dictated the terms of my walk.
To satisfy the in the wake of definition, there needs to be a causal link. There needs to be "turbulence."
Think about the 2008 financial crisis. We often say new banking regulations were created in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse. This works perfectly. The collapse was the massive ship; the regulations were the necessary reaction to the choppy water left behind. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the figurative use of "wake" to mean "the track left by anything that has passed" dates back to the early 19th century. It’s stayed with us because it paints a picture that "following" just can't match.
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Why the Context Changes Everything
Context is king here. You’ll see this phrase pop up in journalism more than anywhere else. Journalists love it. It provides an instant sense of gravity.
But check this out: there’s a subtle difference between "aftermath" and "in the wake of." Aftermath usually refers to the results of a catastrophe—think fallen trees after a storm. "In the wake of" is broader. It can be used for positive things, though it rarely is. You could technically say a wave of optimism swept the city in the wake of the home team’s championship win. It feels a little clunky, though, doesn't it? That’s because the "wake" usually implies something you have to navigate through or recover from.
It’s about the shadow cast by the event.
If you look at how Merriam-Webster defines it, they point specifically to the "track or path left by something that has passed." If you’re a writer, you should use this when you want to show that the second event wouldn't have happened—or would have happened very differently—without the first. It’s about the ripple effect.
Real-World Examples of the Phrase in Action
Let’s look at some specific instances where this phrase actually fits the bill.
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- Public Policy: In the wake of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the city completely overhauled its building codes. The earthquake was the ship; the new laws were the response to the wreckage.
- Technology: We are currently living in the wake of the smartphone revolution. Everything from how we date to how we order tacos has been reshaped by that one "vessel" passing through our culture.
- Sports: Many teams have changed their concussion protocols in the wake of new CTE research. The research changed the environment, forcing everyone behind it to adapt.
I once read a piece where a writer used "in the wake of" to describe a person following someone out of a room. "He walked in the wake of the headmaster." That’s actually a brilliant, literal-meets-figurative use. It implies the headmaster was moving with such force or authority that he was physically displacing the air, leaving the other person to struggle in his "slipstream."
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The biggest mistake? Overuse.
If you use it three times in one essay, your reader is going to get motion sickness. It's a heavy-duty phrase. Don't use a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame.
Another error is using it when there is no actual connection between the two events. "In the wake of the sunrise, I brushed my teeth." No. Just no. Unless the sun rising somehow forced you to brush your teeth in a way you wouldn't have otherwise, it’s just "after."
Sometimes people confuse it with "in light of." While "in light of" means "considering these new facts," "in the wake of" focuses more on the event itself and the disturbance it caused.
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- In light of the new budget, we are cutting costs. (Logic-based)
- In the wake of the budget cuts, morale plummeted. (Consequence-based)
The Nuance of "Wake" vs. "Track"
You might wonder why we don't say "in the track of." We actually used to. But "wake" implies a liquid, moving environment. It suggests that the world hasn't settled back to normal yet. A track is a static mark on the ground; a wake is a moving, churning force. That’s why the in the wake of definition is so tied to the idea of temporary chaos or transition.
It’s about that middle period between the "before" and the "new normal."
How to Level Up Your Writing Today
If you’re trying to sound more natural and less like a textbook, try swapping "in the wake of" for other phrases when the situation isn't dire.
Try "following," "after," or "triggered by."
But if you are describing a massive shift—like a company restructuring after a CEO resigns or a family's life changing after a big move—then "in the wake of" is your best friend. It honors the scale of the change. It tells the reader, "Hey, this wasn't just a sequence; this was a consequence."
Honestly, most people won't call you out if you use it slightly wrong. But if you want to write with precision, you have to respect the maritime roots. You have to see the ship and the churning water.
Actionable Takeaways for Using the Phrase Correctly
- Check for Causality: Ask yourself if Event B was directly influenced by the "turbulence" of Event A. If the answer is no, use "after."
- Evaluate the Gravity: Reserve the phrase for events that have a significant impact. Small, everyday actions rarely leave a "wake."
- Vary Your Vocabulary: If you've already used it once in a document, look for alternatives like "as a result of" or "prompted by" to keep your prose from feeling repetitive.
- Visualize the Water: If you can't imagine the first event "disturbing the surface" of your subject's life, the metaphor doesn't fit.
- Watch Your Tense: The phrase almost always refers to something that has already happened or is currently happening. It rarely works for speculative future events (e.g., "In the wake of next year's potential storm" sounds weird).
By understanding the in the wake of definition as more than just a timestamp, you gain a tool for showing—not just telling—how events impact one another. It's a way to add depth to your narrative, whether you're writing a news report or a personal blog post.