How to Use realize in a Sentence

realize

verb
  • They did not realize the risk that was involved.
  • You just have to realize that you can't always get what you want.
  • He finally realized the scope of the problem.
  • She realizes how much things have changed.
  • She slowly realized what he was trying to say.
  • Do you realize how difficult that stunt is?
  • He realized a lifelong dream by winning an Olympic medal.
  • He finally realized his ambition to start his own business.
  • At what point did each of you realize that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts?
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2022
  • The Grootes did not realize the Seeger boys play their games at the gym in Williamsport, which was built in 1958.
    The Indianapolis Star, 27 Jan. 2023
  • But realize, Legans doesn’t want to be a sleeper in the WCC.
    Bill Oram, oregonlive, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Many don’t realize that Meals by Genet means meals made by Genet, alone in the kitchen.
    Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2022
  • That was when my mother realized that the gates wouldn’t have been open yet.
    Yukio Mishima, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024
  • The pair are 10 years apart in age but hardly realize it.
    Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2022
  • But the star realized that her son was confused about where the bathroom was.
    Staff Author, Peoplemag, 23 June 2023
  • The team that trades for him will need to realize, and accept, that wrinkle.
    Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2023
  • All of my concerns and fears were realized by one phone call.
    Mike Levine, ABC News, 14 June 2023
  • Entrepreneurs have first off got to realize that this is a long-term game.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022
  • Is this a song where, over the course of it, the person singing is going to realize something?
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Many readers may not realize that the 1987 cult classic film The Princess Bride was a book first.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Jamie Lee was too young to realize it at the time, but those two life events would shape his future.
    Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 14 July 2022
  • Over the years, Ford has helped many young people realize their dreams.
    Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Lee fires his gun, sees the glass fall and roll across the floor, only to realize he’s shot Allerton in the forehead.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Dec. 2024
  • Kohl realized: If the winds turn, this fire could go anywhere.
    Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Some of them are realizing for the first time that ‘hey, my heart’s beating fast.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Officers at the scene of the melee did not realize at the time that the sergeant had been kicked in the head, according to Manansala.
    Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2022
  • And how did the person in the video not realize so many were jammed under their eyelid?
    Maggie O'Neill, SELF, 20 Oct. 2022
  • A lot has changed in the landscape of fashion and art since then, so in many ways that mission has been realized.
    Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
  • But the real star, to me, is Coogler, who comes across as an artist who’s fully realized at somewhat of a young age.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The picture is idyllic but the physical effort required to realize this dream is perhaps a little more than some are able to or willing to put in.
    Trinity Francis, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'realize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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