dawn on somebody phrasal verb (see also dawn)
if a fact dawns on you, you realize it for the first time:
The ghastly truth dawned on me.
It dawned on me that Jo had been right all along.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

realize to begin to understand, notice, or know something that you did not understand etc before:
I hadn’t realized that Ben was his brother.
She suddenly realized who the man in the photograph was.
become aware to gradually realize that something is happening or is true, over a period of time:
He slowly became aware that he was not alone
People are becoming more aware of the harmful effects of cars on the environment.
dawn on somebody if something dawns on you, you realize it for the first time – often used in the phrase it dawned on somebody:
It dawned on me that he could be lying.
It only dawned on her that she was in danger when she saw rescue workers running away from the building.
He thought about the dream for a long time before its meaning began to dawn on him.
sink in if something sinks in, you begin to realize its full meaning or importance, especially gradually:
It took a few minutes for the doctor’s words to sink in.
The reality of what I had done slowly began to sink in.
hit if a fact hits you, you suddenly understand it and how important it is:
It hit me one day that he didn’t care. He’d talk when I phoned him, but he’d never call me.
strike if an idea or thought strikes you, you suddenly think of it:
It suddenly struck her what a risk she was taking.
A thought has just struck me - there must be other people with the same problem.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dawn on
dawn on (you)
to suddenly understand something.
It finally dawned on him that she'd been joking and he was worried for no reason.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

dawn on
to become clear or occur to someone
It finally dawned on me why my friend was angry.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

dawn on
v. To become clear to.
It dawned on Fred that he would fail the course if he did not study harder.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

dawn on someone
to become clear or occur to someone
It finally dawned on me why my friend was angry.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲