in the wake of sth

/ɪnðə wˈeɪk ɒv ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/

/ɪnðə wˈeɪk ʌv ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/

[phrase]

in the wake of sth

[PHRASE]

closely following another occurrence and often caused by it

What is the origin of the idiom "in the wake of something" and when to use it?

The idiom "in the wake of something" has origins in both nautical and literal usage. The word "wake" in this context refers to the track of disturbed water left behind by a moving ship or boat. In nautical terminology, the wake is created by the movement of the vessel and is visible as a trail in the water. It draws upon the imagery of the physical wake left behind by a ship, symbolizing the lingering effects or impact of a significant occurrence.

Examples

1. In the wake of Twitter and Facebook placing warnings on some of the president's posts, conservative social media app, Parler, surged to the top of the Apple and Google app stores in the past week.

2. So the reality is that the cheapest tier of cars had already been shrinking for years in the wake of the recession, even though it looked like sales were a steady fifth of the total new car market.

3. Robinhood updating its platform in the wake of a customer suicide last week in a blog post this afternoon, the co-CEOs announcing three updates.

4. But unfortunately, I think that's the direction we're headed in the wake of this crisis.