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to wake up with the chickens

to wake up with the chickens

8.2
Get up very early at sunrise
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : despertar al amanecer
  • My grandmother always wakes up with the chickens to tend her garden before breakfast.

Examples

  • If you want to catch the sunrise, you'll need to wake up with the chickens tomorrow.

  • He hates having to wake up with the chickens for work, but he enjoys the quiet.

  • I usually wake up with the chickens!

  • She wakes up with the chickens every day.

  • If you want to see the sunrise, you'll have to wake up with the chickens each morning.

  • My neighbor prefers to wake up with the chickens so he can enjoy the peaceful morning air.

  • Many farmers wake up with the chickens to start their day early in the fields.

Synonyms

to get up early
vsto wake up with the chickens
65 1.0

To rise from bed early in the morning

is focused on sunrise timing rather than simply earlier than usual
to rise and shine
vsto wake up with the chickens
  • Informal
34 3.9

To wake up and start the day with energy

is focused on early sunrise timing rather than cheerful prompting
to rise early
vsto wake up with the chickens
3 1.0

To get out of bed early in the morning

is specifically about sunrise timing not general early times
up with the lark
vsto wake up with the chickens
  • UK
1 9.1

Awake and active very early in the morning

is tied to sunrise timing rather than general early activity
to get up and at 'em
vsto wake up with the chickens
  • Informal
1 7.7

To get out of bed and start the day with energy

is about early timing at sunrise rather than energetic starting
to rise with the lark
vsto wake up with the chickens
  • UK
7.7

Wake up very early in the morning, often at sunrise

is typically at sunrise rather than just after it
to get up with the chickens
vsto wake up with the chickens
7.9

Wake very early in the morning, often before dawn

is usually around sunrise rather than before it
to beat the cock
vsto wake up with the chickens
  • Archaic
9.9

Get up very early before sunrise

is usually at sunrise rather than noticeably before it

Antonyms

to sleep in
55 3.0

To stay in bed later than usual in the morning

How Early

to wake up with the chickens
  • Informal
8.2

Surface Forms

wake up with the chickens infinitive
waking up with the chickens present participle
wakes up with the chickens third person singular
woke up with the chickens past
woken up with the chickens past participle

Morphology

wake + up + with + the + chicken

The meaning is directly compositional: 'wake up' (stop sleeping) + 'with' (at the same time as) + 'the chickens' (animals that commonly rise at dawn), so a learner who knows the words can infer waking very early. This simultaneity logic is common cross-linguistically (e.g. expressions about rising with roosters/chickens), supporting full transparency.

Etymology

Wake up with the chickens comes from farm life. Chickens often make noise at sunrise and farmers would wake up with them, so the phrase means 'to wake up very early'.