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Synonyms

get wise to

Idioms  

  1. Also be wise to. See through the deception of; also, become aware of. For example, It took a while, but she finally got wise to Fred's lies, or I'm wise to the fact that her clothes come from a thrift shop. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As people get more used to seeing white vans parked on busy high streets, will people who know they are wanted by police simply get wise to the cameras and avoid them?

From BBC • May 25, 2024

Hypotheses from behavioral research propose that the rarer color morph always has an advantage, because the host birds gradually get wise to the trick.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

But deployed over a city, rats get wise to physical traps.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2023

It didn’t take them long to get wise to the return of their favorite food.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2020

I knew, then, it wouldn't be long before her husband would get wise to it and I didn't know what kind of a game he'd spring on me.

From My Actor-Husband A true story of American stage life by Anonymous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.