wise up
Britishverb
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slang (often foll by to) to become or cause to become aware or informed (of)
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(tr) to make more intellectually demanding or sophisticated
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.
We are getting it good and hard now; the question is whether we can wise up fast enough to avoid the worst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
It’s a scam, of course, one that only he knows is happening and it requires him and his hoodwinked team to occasionally hit the road before suckers wise up and want their money back.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2023
What converted me was my wife telling me I’d be banned from her store if I didn’t wise up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2022
There are deals being signed left and right, they say, as more people wise up.
From The Verge ● Feb. 11, 2022
I told Greenback to wise up his boy, as look at the trouble that got caused.
From Arm of the Law by Harry Harrison
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.
