wise up to

1. Make or become aware, informed or sophisticated, as in It's time someone wised you up to Mary; she's an incorrigible flirt, or As soon as Tony wised up to what the company was doing, he quit. [Slang; early 1900s] Also see put wise.

Example Sentences

When do you suppose our major universities will wise up to the notion of serving as a free farm club for the NFL and NBA?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Only since the 2022 Dobbs decision overturning a half-century of abortion rights have Democrats begun to wise up to what Republicans have long known: With executive and legislative power, your party can put its stamp on the unelected third branch of government, the judiciary, and that legacy can long outlast the politicians.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Just as front-line workers have been pleading with people to wear masks and practice social distancing, environmental activists have been trying to get us to wise up to the consequences of our actions.

Read more on Washington Post

Progressives need to wise up to the fact that they are losing this argument and decide what they are going to do in response.

Read more on The Guardian

Audiences are bound to wise up to the outright cynicism of this practice before long.

Read more on The Guardian

Related Words

• catch 
• disclose 
• distinguish 
• encounter 
• expose 
• find 
• identify 
• notice 
• observe 
• recognize 
• reveal 
• see 
• spot 
• uncover