1
as in discovering
to come to an awareness of
I just realized that I can't go out to dinner tonight because I'm supposed to babysit for our neighbor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reaping
to receive as return for effort
if you deposit your paycheck in a savings account, you'll realize a little interest on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of realizing
Apparently realizing that launching feuds with other female celebrities could be bad for her burgeoning beauty-products brand, Tisdale immediately jumped into damage control mode Tuesday and had her rep insist to TMZ that her essay was not about Duff, Moore or Trainor.
—
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
And in 1945, American inventor Percy Spencer developed the microwave oven after realizing that the candy bar in his pocket began to melt near a magnetron.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
This could look like taking on more responsibility, redefining professional boundaries or realizing that success means more than status.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Somehow a mix-up has occurred, perhaps even without their realizing it.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Growing up is realizing that these old-timey candies (with the exception of a few) are actually delicious.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 6 Jan. 2026
Without realizing it, Chilcutt blew past that total, finishing with just over 100,000 shots.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The man’s wife called the facility after realizing her husband hadn’t come home after his shift, ClickOnDetroit reported.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Germany has taken another major step toward realizing scalable quantum computers with the launch of SmaraQ, a collaborative research initiative that integrates quantum optics directly onto a chip.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
And in 1945, American inventor Percy Spencer developed the microwave oven after realizing that the candy bar in his pocket began to melt near a magnetron.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
This could look like taking on more responsibility, redefining professional boundaries or realizing that success means more than status.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Somehow a mix-up has occurred, perhaps even without their realizing it.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Growing up is realizing that these old-timey candies (with the exception of a few) are actually delicious.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 6 Jan. 2026
Without realizing it, Chilcutt blew past that total, finishing with just over 100,000 shots.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The man’s wife called the facility after realizing her husband hadn’t come home after his shift, ClickOnDetroit reported.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Germany has taken another major step toward realizing scalable quantum computers with the launch of SmaraQ, a collaborative research initiative that integrates quantum optics directly onto a chip.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for realizing
Verb
-
The dramatic cover continues to guide the drama of the party, from Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) choosing Benedict as her bachelor of the season to Eloise (Claudia Jessie) discovering her sister Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) had snuck in to the ball.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Road trips are also a great way to travel abroad, including driving through the Irish countryside, discovering rain forests and beach towns in Brazil, and more.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The money flowing into AI and new technology has been a major source of debate on Wall Street as investors increasingly want to see that companies are reaping rewards from the massive spending over the last year.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The North Stars are reaping the benefits of all that hard work.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And there are places like Glam Doll donuts, a small, hip, independent donut place owned and run by two women, from which the video a lot of people have been seeing was filmed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
What’s more, last year’s average tax refund of $3,167 should jump by hundreds of dollars in 2026 – with some taxpayers seeing four figure increases.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cannon-Grant was well-known in activist circles in Boston, earning numerous awards, including Boston Globe Magazine’s Bostonian of the Year award and a Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us award, both in 2020 amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Only seven units are market rate while the remainder are reserved for residents earning 30%, 50% and 60% of the area median income.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This letter is my heart and body learning now to sing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Starting in the fall, every student in elementary and middle school in Beijing, and several other districts, began learning about AI.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There are also a number of fascinating candidates who might need a couple of tries, along with returning fixtures who have been gaining momentum and could at some point hit the 75% threshold needed for election.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Since then, more pandas have arrived or were born locally, gaining a huge following.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
So many other things that are going on are worse than hearing a curse word.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Liberty students said they were also compelled to speak out after seeing ongoing discussions of an ICE facility potentially coming to the Kansas City area and hearing rumors of ICE agents allegedly going door-to-door in nearby Gladstone.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Belichick also was one of the game's top defensive assistants before taking over in New England, winning two earlier Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Penny Weaver is an award-winning journalist who covers crime, law enforcement, court proceedings and more for the River Valley Democrat-Gazette.—
Penny Weaver,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Realizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realizing. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
