english
1
general::
verb
understand:
I realize why she doesn't want to go.
verb
accomplish:
We will realize our goals this year.
Simple Definitions
2
general::
verb ADV. fully | dimly She dimly realized that she was trembling. | suddenly | quickly, soon | now | for the first time I realized for the first time how difficult this would be. | at first The situation was more complicated than they had at first realized. | at last, belatedly, eventually, finally | never I never realized how much it meant to you. VERB + REALIZE begin to, come to | make sb The experience made me realize that people did care. | seem to You don't seem to realize the seriousness of the situation. | fail to | be important to PHRASES without realizing (sth) We are constantly using historic buildings, without even realizing it.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
realize
to begin to understand, notice, or know something that you did not understand etc before:
• I hadn’t realized that Ben was his brother. • She suddenly realized who the man in the photograph was.
become aware
to gradually realize that something is happening or is true, over a period of time:
• He slowly became aware that he was not alone • People are becoming more aware of the harmful effects of cars on the environment.
dawn on somebody
if something dawns on you, you realize it for the first time – often used in the phrase it dawned on somebody:
• It dawned on me that he could be lying. • It only dawned on her that she was in danger when she saw rescue workers running away from the building. • He thought about the dream for a long time before its meaning began to dawn on him.
sink in
if something sinks in, you begin to realize its full meaning or importance, especially gradually:
• It took a few minutes for the doctor’s words to sink in. • The reality of what I had done slowly began to sink in.
hit
if a fact hits you, you suddenly understand it and how important it is:
• It hit me one day that he didn’t care. He’d talk when I phoned him, but he’d never call me.
strike
if an idea or thought strikes you, you suddenly think of it:
• It suddenly struck her what a risk she was taking. • A thought has just struck me - there must be other people with the same problem.
Longman-Thesaurus