How to Use reality check in a Sentence

reality check

noun
  • The friends agreed that the war had been a reality check.
    Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
  • But up next, the fight over the Supreme Court and a reality check on North Korea.
    NBC News, 8 July 2018
  • Sitting in the stylist’s chair is a great time to get a reality check — on both your life and hair habits.
    Rachel Krause, refinery29.com, 23 Apr. 2021
  • In a stark reality check, Biden suggested talks could drag to the end of the year.
    Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2021
  • This year, the Bearcats gave SMU a 42-13 reality check.
    Sam Blum, Dallas News, 27 Oct. 2020
  • But Miller warned that the actor will have to deal with a reality check.
    Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024
  • And then here comes along somebody like me with a bit of a reality check.
    Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 26 Oct. 2019
  • And who would be more in need of a reality check than a thin, blonde white woman?
    Jourdain Searles, refinery29.com, 27 July 2023
  • That’s a reality check on the positive side of the ledger.
    Joel Achenbach, Anchorage Daily News, 17 July 2021
  • That's a reality check on the positive side of the ledger.
    BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2021
  • Marquette, the third in the last four games, the UConn men’s basketball team faced a hard reality check.
    Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 14 Jan. 2023
  • The trend serves as a reality check for the AI industry.
    Will Knight, Wired, 12 June 2020
  • Just like my advice for gauging the scope of your gym space, this is a reality check.
    Dana Santas, CNN, 28 Nov. 2020
  • Bryant entered the game on a hot streak but this was a reality check for the young signal caller.
    Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, 1 Jan. 2018
  • The reality check is that Russia is a hostile state as it is run at the moment.
    Jerry Dunleavy, Washington Examiner, 6 Mar. 2020
  • But the bottom-line reality check: That is very good news.
    Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 7 July 2023
  • The Hawkeyes get a reality check this week in the form of Ohio State, who lead the Big 10 in scoring, passing and total offense.
    USA TODAY, 22 Oct. 2022
  • And then there’s this reality check: In Q1 of this year, flat and down rounds as a portion of VC deals hit 27.4%—a sobering decade-high.
    Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 26 June 2024
  • The Terps got a reality check in recent weeks, allowing 151 points in the past four games.
    Ryan McFadden, baltimoresun.com, 24 Oct. 2021
  • The schedule will give the Warriors a good reality check.
    Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Feb. 2021
  • Here’s a quick reality check on the body politic: Chester Doles is running for office.
    Chris Joyner, ajc, 3 Dec. 2021
  • But in the moment, Frazier knew his team needed both a lift and a reality check.
    Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 30 Dec. 2021
  • In the two games since, they have been given a reality check, a lesson on how much growth is required.
    Chris Fedor, cleveland, 17 Nov. 2019
  • But leave it to Belichick to express the reality check.
    Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2021
  • The film itself shows the mundane — a silent and spare breakfast; cleaning the chapel — and the visuals are a brisk reality check.
    Nina Metz, chicagotribune.com, 23 May 2018
  • This will likely force sellers to have a reality check in 2023, needing to lower prices to make the sale.
    Brenda Richardson, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
  • Here’s the reality check: This is not going to get better.
    Shon Faye, Vogue, 11 July 2023
  • In one sense, the Colts did get something of a reality check in the snow and mud of Arrowhead Stadium.
    Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star, 24 July 2019
  • But as time and geography changed, there has been a reality check.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 Sep. 2024
  • Yet Goodall tempers this optimism with a sobering reality check.
    Vladan Shir, WIRED, 5 Aug. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reality check.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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