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reveille

reveille

7 9.8
A signal played on a bugle to wake soldiers at sunrise
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛvəˌli/
translation icon : reveille
  • The familiar sound of reveille filled the air, signaling the start of morning routines.
  • morning reveille
  • bugle plays reveille
  • play reveille

Examples

  • The next morning at reveille, my name was high on the list because most of our company was new; we had come on the train.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Private Swofford here is going to play Reveille for us.

  • You'd better get going if you want to make it back for reveille.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Reveille at first light... and prepare to move out by the half-hour.

  • We lived across the street from Fort Hays in Columbus, Ohio, and I can still remember hearing reveille and taps being played.

    Blog text (11)
  • The training was very intense, with a full day of activity that began with reveille at 5:45 a.m. and taps at 9:30 p.m.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Every morning, the bugler plays reveille to wake the soldiers at dawn.

  • As soon as reveille sounded, the troops began to prepare for the day ahead.

Synonyms

alarm
vsreveille
842 1.0

A device that makes a loud sound to warn or wake people

is aimed at waking at sunrise in military routine not warning people
bugle call
vsreveille
2 5.6

A short tune that someone plays on a bugle to signal a time or event

is mainly used at sunrise to wake people rather than to mark events
wake-up signal
vsreveille
  • Jargon
3.6

A sound that makes people get out of bed, often used in camps or the military

is used specifically at sunrise rather than at other waking times

Surface Forms

reveille singular
reveilles plural

Etymology

The word reveille comes from the French réveiller meaning 'to wake' and from older words for being awake, the same root you see in the English word vigil, meaning 'a watch'. So a reveille is a morning bugle call that literally 'wakes' soldiers at sunrise.