A more formal or literary variant of 'dawn on': to gradually become understood or realised by someone.
To slowly understand something you didn't see before — same as 'dawn on' but more formal.
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
To gradually become clear or understood by someone; to come to be realised (formal/literary variant of 'dawn on').
"It slowly dawned upon the detective that the witness had been lying from the very beginning."
"It dawned upon me gradually that..."
For dawn (the start of the day's light) to appear upon something.
To slowly understand something you didn't see before — same as 'dawn on' but more formal.
Functionally identical to 'dawn on'. 'Dawn upon' appears more frequently in literary and older written texts; 'dawn on' is more common in modern spoken and written English. Both are grammatically correct.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "dawn upon" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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