Fromreal +-ise, possibly fromFrenchréaliser andMiddle Frenchréaliser(“to make real; to convert (something) into assets or cash”). Seerealize.
realise (third-person singular simple presentrealises,present participlerealising,simple past and past participlerealised)
- Non-OxfordBritish standard spelling ofrealize.
a.1733 (date written),Thomas Boston, “The Danger of Unworthy Communicating”, inAn Illustration of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion, with Reference to Faith and Practice. […], 2nd edition, volume III, Edinburgh: […] Schaw and Pillans, for the Reverend Joseph Johnston, […], published1796,→OCLC, paragraph 2,page348:[F]aithrealiſeth the ſufferings ofChriſt; it looks upon Chriſt as the common treaſury of all grace, as the principle of life, and root of holineſs.
1750 October 24 (Gregorian calendar),Samuel Johnson, “No. [60]. Saturday, October 13. 1750.”, inThe Rambler, volume III, Edinburgh: [[…] Sands, Murray, and Cochran]; sold by W. Gordon, C. Wright, J. Yair, […], published1750,→OCLC,pages57–58:All joy or ſorrovv for the happineſs or calamities of others, is produced by an act of the imagination, thatrealiſes the event hovvever fictitious, or approximates it hovvever remote, by placing us for a time in the condition of him vvhoſe fortune vve comtemplate;[…]
[1849], “‘Woman, Why Weepest Thou?’”, inMemorials of Bertie’s Brother and Infant Sister. […], London: Ward and Co., […],→OCLC,page79:Have faith in God! He shall dispose thy lot, / Nor weep for woe thourealisest not: / They shall precede thee to the better land, / And meet and greet thee on its joyful strand.
1848 November –1850 December,William Makepeace Thackeray, “A Pedigree and Other Family Matters”, inThe History of Pendennis. […], volume I, London:Bradbury and Evans, […], published1849,→OCLC,page10:A lucky purchase which he had made of shares in a copper-mine added very considerably to his wealth, and herealised with great prudence while this mine was still at its full vogue.
1865,[Henry] Suso, “Light after Darkness”, in[anonymous], transl.,Spiritual Voices from the Middle Ages. […], London: Joseph Masters, […],→OCLC, part V (Of the State of Grace), paragraph 97,pages75–76:Utterly helpleſs, thou wert ſinking for ever, andrealiſedſt not the fearfulneſs of thy poſition, for thus wert thou born and nurtured.
1915,Louis Joseph Vance, “Burglary”, inNobody, New York, N.Y.:George H[enry] Doran Company,→OCLC,page35:SHE wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact, drowsilyrealising that since she had fallen asleep it had come on to rain smartly out of a shrouded sky.- The 1st edition, published inMunsey’s Magazine, (November 1914) usesrealizing instead.
1952 March, R. K. Kirkland, “The Railways of Uxbridge”, inThe Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press,→ISSN,→OCLC, page147:[…] Uxbridge thought it could safely ignore the railway […]. Like many other towns which adopted similar tactics, Uxbridge soonrealised its mistake.
2004, Pip Granger,The Widow Ginger:Do you reckon Hissing Sidrealises what a shagnasty that Mary is?
2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told[online version: ‘Killer robots’ pose threat to peace and should be banned, UN warned]”, inThe Guardian Weekly[1], volume188, number26, London:Guardian News & Media,→ISSN,→OCLC, archived fromthe original on2023-04-11, page 6:In his submission to the UN,[Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategistsrealised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My Weirdest and Wackiest Rover yet”, inRail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire:Bauer Media,→ISSN,→OCLC, page68:As the 1857 to Manchester Piccadilly rolls in, I scan the windows andrealise there are plenty of spare seats, so I hop aboard. The train is a '221'+'220' combo to allow for social distancing – a luxury on an XC train as normally you're playing sardines, so I make the most of it.
