begin to dawn on someone

(idiom) someone slowly starts to realize or understand something

Example Sentences:

It began to dawn on Rachel that her husband was seeing another woman when she found text messages on his cellphone.

I’ve been confused in my class for two weeks, but after getting a new professor the material is beginning to dawn on me.

Media:

Similar idioms:

1. over one’s head
2. work up to
3. can’t make heads or tails of it