Definition

1. Verb (transitive): To cause someone to become aware of something, especially a truth or a deception; to inform or enlighten someone.
2. Verb (intransitive): To become aware of or informed about something, especially after a period of ignorance; to realize the truth of a situation.

Usage

• This phrasal verb is informal and often implies a sudden or belated understanding of a hidden or important fact. It is commonly used in the imperative ("Wise up!") as a blunt command to become more sensible or aware.

Examples

• Transitive use:
  • Someone needs to wise him up about the risks involved before he invests.
  • The article wised me up to the hidden fees in my phone contract.
• Intransitive use:
  • He finally wised up and stopped trusting those get-rich-quick schemes.
  • If you don't wise up soon, you're going to get into trouble.

Advanced Usage

• "wise up to [something]": To become aware of a specific fact, trick, or situation.
  • Investors are starting to wise up to the company's shaky financials.
  • She finally wised up to his lies.

Variants and Related Words

• Wise (adjective): Having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
• Wisdom (noun): The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

Synonyms

• Inform: To give someone facts or information.
• Enlighten: To give someone greater knowledge or understanding.
• Clue in (informal): To give someone key information.
• Realize: To become fully aware of something as a fact.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Catch on: To understand something, especially something popular or a trend.
  • It took me a while to catch on to the new software.
• Figure out: To understand or solve something after thinking about it.
  • I need to figure out how this machine works.

Related Idioms

• Get wise: To become informed or shrewd (often followed by "to").
  • You'd better get wise to how things work around here.
• See the light: To finally understand or accept something.
  • After failing the test, he finally saw the light and started studying.

Verb

1. cause someone to become aware of something
2. get wise to
   • They wised up to it