dawn on

Verb

dawn on (third-person singular simple present dawns on, present participle dawning on, simple past and past participle dawned on)

1. (idiomatic) To occur to somebody; to be realized by.
   • It finally dawned on him that he could automate the process instead of doing it by hand each time.
   • Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   strike, register