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to discern
01
to understand something through thought or reasoning
Transitive: to discern sth | to discern that
Examples
After much thought, she discerned that his actions were motivated by jealousy.
02
to distinguish between things
Transitive: to discern sth from sth
Grammatical Information
Composition
Simple
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
discern
3rd person singular
discerns
Present participle
discerning
Past simple
discerned
Past participle
discerned
Examples
The judge was able to discern truth from lies in the witness's testimony.
03
to notice something using sight
Transitive: to discern a shape or sight
Examples
They could barely discern the mountain peak through the heavy mist.
04
to perceive something using senses other than sight
Transitive: to discern a sensory stimulus
Examples
She discerned a faint scent of roses as she entered the room.
Lexical Tree
discernable
discernible
discerning
discern
