realize

To realize is to begin to understand or comprehend:

• The student didn’t realize he had made a mistake until someone pointed it out.
• When we realized how much a new car was going to cost, we decided to buy a used car.
• Frank finally realizes how much his family means to him.
• No one realized how much pain Felicia was in until she went to the hospital.
• You won’t realize a profit on your stocks until you sell them. (The word "realize" is often used to describe a person’s loss or gain of wealth.)
• After realizing huge losses, the company went out of business.

He doesn’t realize that he talks too much.

The word "realization" is a noun:

• The owner of the company came to the realization that he would have to start laying off employees.
• Following the sudden realization that their water supply was about to dry up, the farmers made a decision to move.

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September 18, 2015