Meaning & use
realize
To become fully aware of a fact or situation, often suddenly or after some reflection.
See it in a sentence
Halfway through the drive, I realized I had left my passport on the kitchen table.
She didn't realize how much the city had changed until she walked past her old school.
A note on using this word
Realize can also mean to make something real, as in 'realize a dream'; British spelling is 'realise'.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. verb
To achieve or make something, such as a plan or ambition, actually happen.
After a decade of saving, they finally realized their dream of opening a small bakery.
Make it your own
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