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.
If the leaders of the party know this fact, they are certainly not going to wise up their foot soldiers.
From Salon • Sep. 7, 2024
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
There are deals being signed left and right, they say, as more people wise up.
From The Verge • Feb. 11, 2022
Did you shut them down, did they trip on themselves, or did they eventually wise up and treat you with respect?
From Washington Post • Dec. 9, 2021
I never used to think about such things, but when we shook Oakland I began to wise up.
From The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack
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.
