wake up and smell the coffee/roses

idiom

US, informal
: to realize the truth about one's situation : to become aware of what is really happening
These problems are not going to fix themselves. Voters need to wake up and smell the coffee and elect someone who will get things done.

Examples of wake up and smell the coffee/roses in a Sentence

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Starbucks' customers have to wake up and smell the coffee! Latoya Gayle, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025 All that’s left is for San Diegans to wake up and smell the coffee on the way in and divine the music inside. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Wake up and smell the coffee/roses.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wake%20up%20and%20smell%20the%20coffee%2Froses. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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