reality check

noun

: something that clarifies or serves as a reminder of reality often by correcting a misconception

Examples of reality check in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This isn’t the first time Mau’s had to force a reality check on a show full of unreliable narrators. Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 8 May 2025 One growing increasingly more indisputable as Claudia Pina dinks a curling effort in off Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton’s far post, putting Chelsea 3-0 down before half-time in their Champions League second-leg semi-final and the Stamford Bridge home crowd to a reality check no one wanted. Megan Feringa, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025 But the Pistons’ record when Cunningham has gone nuclear offers a reality check. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025 This is all a reality check, whether McIlroy likes to admit it or not. Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reality check

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reality check was in 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Reality check.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reality%20check. Accessed 17 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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